


Until The Gentle Spring Day

by Lady_Iwaizumi



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha Daishou Suguru, Alpha Suguru, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Fingering, Anxiety Attacks, Arguing, BTS references, Babies, Baby Daddy, Baby Makes Three, Baby Names, Between Seasons/Series, Birthday Sex, Boys Kissing, Car Sex, Character Development, Childbirth, Childhood Friends, Children, Christmas Fluff, Co-Parenting, Coming Untouched, Could Be Canon, Daddy Issues, Daddy Kink, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Difficult Decisions, Drunk Sex, Dry Humping, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Engagement, Eventual Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Family Drama, First Christmas, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Frottage, Goblin - Freeform, Good Doctor (Japan), Grinding, Hard of Hearing, Holidays, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, K-drama, Kink Discovery, Kink Negotiation, Loud Sex, M/M, Making Love, Making Out, Moving In Together, Mpreg, Name-Calling, New Year's Eve, Omega Kuroo, Omega Kuroo Tetsurou, Omega Verse, One Night Stands, Oral Sex, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Post Mpreg, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Kink, Pregnant Sex, Protectiveness, Resolved Sexual Tension, Rich Suguru, Riding, Roommates, Scent Marking, Semi-Public Sex, Sex Shop, Single Parents, Slice of Life, Snowed In, Song Lyrics, Spring, Strained Relationships, Unplanned Pregnancy, Wealth, akaashi single dad mhm, maybe..., oopsie, rich boy my aesthetic, sugs has daddy issues, theyre daddies yay, wow so much smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2019-09-21 18:46:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 195,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17048600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Iwaizumi/pseuds/Lady_Iwaizumi
Summary: They just wanted a good night of sex with someone familiar, someone they liked—but Kuroo did not expect to be pregnant his junior year of college.He definitely did not expect the father to be his mortal enemy Daishou Suguru.The thrills and lows of pregnancy go on as Kuroo and Suguru slowly inch closer and closer to love, waiting until the gentle spring day comes to change their lives forever.





	1. "even in august, winter is here"

**Author's Note:**

> Title and lyrics taken from one of my favorite BTS songs, "Spring Day." Chapter updates will vary, but I promise I won't be cruel! Also, Banana Fish is ending today so I need happiness. Babies and bickering snakes and cats make me happy, I guess. If you want more single dad AU's, my Bokuroo fic "Evolve" and its sequel "Evolution" are yours for the taking, featuring toddler Terushima! Thanks for reading :D

_I miss you_

_When I say that, I miss you more_

_I’m looking at your photo_

_But I still miss you_

_Time is so cruel_

_I hate us_

_Now it’s hard to even see each other’s faces_

_It’s only winter here_

_Even in August, winter is here_

_My heart makes time run_

_Like a Snowpiercer left alone_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_And go to the other side of the earth_

_To end this winter_

_How much longing has to fall like snow_

_For the spring days to come, friend?_

 

_Late August_

Kuroo wouldn’t say he was drunk, per say; he only had a few drinks in him, not enough that made him confuse identities, but enough where he didn’t really care exactly who he was talking to. He didn’t even like college parties, really, and Bokuto was hanging with his boyfriend (probably soon to be omega partner) Akaashi tonight, so there really wasn’t a whole lot going for Tetsurou. He left around ten without getting anyone’s phone number, walking alone on the sidewalk until he spotted a bus stop that would eventually take him back to his apartment; despite the light alcohol fog over his brain, Kuroo was deep in thought about a variety of things. Failure at making friends or developing some kind of relationship tonight caused these intrusive ideas as the college student walked alone, keeping to himself. He thought about Bokuto, how he was really getting serious with his boyfriend, despite the fact that Akaashi already had a child with someone else from his high school days. Bokuto really fell hard for Akaashi and his daughter Kiyoko, who found him annoying but apparently liked him enough to allow the dorky college student to date her father. How was it that out of the two of them, _Bokuto_ the meat-smelling, dorky alpha was the one getting his life together? It made no sense what-so-ever.

 _Stupid beefy butt-face Bokuto_ , Kuroo snorted to himself, kicking at a rock and missing terribly as he swayed across the sidewalk under the dim autumn streetlight. _How come he found a super hot, intelligent, way out of his league omega to date? Totally not fair…but maybe I’m the hot omega someone’s waiting for. Yeah, that’s it. I’ve just gotta…make myself available somehow. I mean, I was available tonight and no one hit on me, but they were a tough crowd._

“Damnit…I wanna get laid,” Kuroo whined to himself, spotting a bench ahead. “Such a loser…”

Tetsurou had a journalism degree he was currently working on, and while that future was promising, he was tired of waiting. Waiting for graduation, waiting for his big break, waiting for the money to come rolling in so he could give his father an early retirement…drinking made Kuroo a bitter person. Tonight was no different, and his level of sexual frustration made things even worse, especially since his heat had just occured last week. Kuroo managed to plop himself down on the bench at the bus stop, sighing deeply as he thought over the current melancholy situation. The cold autumn air caught onto his scent and pushed it around lightly, rubbing the omega’s own pathetic tendencies right back in his face.

 _Why do I have to go through another year of writing reports and meeting deadlines?_ Tetsurou wondered, shivering through the gust of wind. _Why do I have to suffer so much just to get what I want? It’s totally not fair…what kind of sadistic jerk thought of college, anyway? He must’ve been a perv or something. Got off on seeing students paying thousands of dollars every year just for a lousy education they could get on the streets. Jerks._

_…I still wanna get laid. Why can’t I get laid? Bokuto gets laid. He gets to sleep in Akaashi’s bed, too. I envy that horned-headed bastard. I love him, too, though…I guess I’ll be happy for him. But I wonder why he gets so lucky when I’m left behind on the bad-luck road. Why do I have to have student loans? Why can’t everyone have equal wealth? Why do I have to leave college as broke as a homeless person and only a piece of paper to show for my skills?_

“Damn it all,” Kuroo groaned out-loud, running a hand through his hair. “Damn it all to h—”

It took Tetsurou a long second to react to the powerful scent of an alpha brushing past his nose; the alarms went off in his brain, and the omega turned his head in preparation for some horny freak to come out of the bushes to his right. What he saw under the lamppost was, arguably, a certain kind of freak, but definitely not one he expected.

“Wallowing in self-pity on a Friday night, are we, Kuroo Tetsurou?”

Of all the people Kuroo could run into, it had to be Suguru Daishou, his volleyball enemy from high school, the snake of all reptiles himself. Tetsurou considered himself lucky, because this was the first time he had run into Daishou despite attending the same college for the past three years. Those were pretty good odds, but that didn’t make him any happier to watch Suguru plop down beside him like they were friends or something. Visions of a red-cheeked, fatigued but fierce high school boy went through Tetsurou’s mind, the dirty plays and smirks through the volleyball net; Kuroo’s half-drunk self stared at Daishou for a long moment, recalling how different his features looked in high school, how the slope of his jaw had widened somewhat, how the muscles under his turtle neck seemed firmer than before…he must have been cold, judging on the sweater and crème colored trench coat he wore. Time hadn’t altered Kuroo’s dislike of him, but he was leaning towards bitterness amidst his attitude change, saving the hate for another day. Daishou was the same snake as ever, only hidden behind a different skin. Those greenish-brown eyes looked golden under the orange fall fog, illuminating a patch of light freckles on his cheeks, the darkness of his eyelashes; Tetsurou knew he was looking at the same enemy, but wondered when he had admitted to himself that Suguru was mildly attractive.

_Drinking really makes me weird…_

“What are _you_ doing here?” Kuroo huffed, bringing his arms closer in. “Couldn’t find some other bystander to harass?”

“Nice to see you, too, Kuroo-chan.” Daishou smirked. “Schoolmates should be more polite to each other.”

“Pf. We don’t even have the same classes, dumbass.”

“Your words wound me, Tetsurou.”

“Good, that’s what I was going for.”

Kuroo glanced over suspiciously when Suguru laughed at his remark; some weird memories were flashing in his head as the alpha’s scent seeped into his senses, forcing Tetsurou to remember all those volleyball battles they shared, most of which he won, a few where Nekoma lost. It was weird sitting on the same bench as him, now, in the dead of the night, both a little unlike themselves due to the looseness alcohol tended to trigger. Now that they were closer, Kuroo noticed a similar haze over Suguru’s eyes that matched his own.

“…You out smoking weed or something?” Tetsurou asked dryly, voice echoing through the lonely Tokyo streets.

“Gross…no. I was just at a party for a while,” Daishou shrugged innocently. “I got bored, so I left.”

“You mean no one wanted to sleep with you? Shocking.”

“Right back at you, _kitten_.”

“Still the same annoying little snake, huh?” Kuroo sighed deeply while rubbing his face. He really needed to wake-up before the bus arrived. “I’m disappointed in you, Daishou-chan.”

“Alcohol makes me snarky, I guess.” Suguru smiled. “What are _you_ doing here on a Friday night, though, Kuroo? Your partner in crime leave with someone?”

“Bokuto’s with his boyfriend, thank you. I was at a party, too, but I got too bitter and they kicked me out.”

“Bitter over what?” Daishou snorted. “Your lack of game or your lack of sex appeal?”

“Both.” Kuroo admitted with no shame. Suguru became quiet beside him, turning his dazed attention from the signs across the street to the boy sitting beside him. “…Typical, isn’t it? College students party to drown out their own insignificance, only to get even more depressed and go wandering back home with their tail tucked between their legs. Sounds like me, huh?”

Suguru said nothing, absentmindedly playing with his too-tight turtleneck that was really irritating him in his half-drunken state. Kuroo’s expression had turned dark with self-hatred. Daishou wasn’t sure why, but he felt pity for the Nekoma graduate and tried to come up with a way to erase that look from his cat-like eyes. Maybe because he knew how Kuroo felt. Sure, he didn’t have any college debts or a fuzzy future ahead of him, but despite how well off his family was, Daishou often felt insignificant in his world.

“Um…what…what are you studying, again? Journalism or something?” The snake asked.

“Yeah. Why the hell did I do that? Why couldn’t I go into medical school?” Kuroo berated himself, immediately going into vent mode.

“Because you’re a nerd.”

“Um, yeah, nerds become doctors, _Suguru_ ,” Tetsurou rolled his eyes. “So why didn’t I go into that instead?!”

“Well, do you like surgery and blood and anatomy, Kuroo-chan?” Daishou snickered. “ _Obviously_ you didn’t go into med school because your passion was journalism. Don’t be such a baby.”

“… _You_ don’t be such a baby.”

“So immature. Haven’t you grown up at all?”

“My dick has, but no one wants to look at it, so I can’t show my improvement!”

Suguru laughed low in his throat, making Kuroo chuckle as well, though he hid it from the snake by flipping the collar of his jacket up; the bus would be here soon, but Tetsurou wasn’t too eager for its arrival, knowing only an empty apartment and an even lonelier bed awaited his return. Man he was a loser. The only company he could find on a Friday night was Suguru Daishou? How lame did it get? Then again, Suguru wasn’t being as mean or snobbish as usual…maybe he was nicer in a half-drunken state. Kuroo, more talkative and vulnerable in his position, immediately believed this theory and continued the conversation.

“Hey…at the party you went to…did everyone kinda ignore you?” Tetsurou wondered, glancing over at Suguru with thoughtful eyes. “Like, you thought you had a good topic going but then it got changed to weird sexual stuff? Like real conversations bore people?”

“Yeah…I noticed that, too. At parties, no one wants to talk about anything—they just go with their childhood dream of being a lucky son of a bitch who happens to sleep with someone perfect.” Suguru narrowed his eyes. “Where did they ever get that fucking idea from, huh?”

“I know!!! I don’t get it!!!”

“I mean, if they slept with _me_ , yeah, that would be a fairytale ending, but I haven’t met anyone handsome enough to tempt me yet.”

“Oh my _god_ ,” Kuroo rolled his eyes and groaned dramatically. “I can’t believe you just said that. If anyone here is handsome enough to quote Jane Austen, it’s me!”

“Ha!” Daishou laughed.

“I _am_ handsome!!! _Look_ at me!”

“But Kuroo— _you’re_ the one who sat here first because you were so bitter your sorry ass got kicked out of the party.” Suguru snickered accusingly, sticking a finger in Kuroo’s space.

“ _You’re_ sitting here, too, Daishou-chan, so that mean _you’re_ not getting laid either!”

“Who says I don’t have someone waiting at my apartment?” The other college boy fought back, glaring at Kuroo when he pushed his finger away.

“You wouldn’t be sitting here with me if you did, snake boy.”

Daishou pouted and turned away, but Kuroo still spotted the blush that flushed over his cheeks at the big reveal; why did Suguru always have to try and out do Tetsurou? Hadn’t they fought enough in high school, during every volleyball match? The black-haired boy huffed over a laugh, leaning against the bench lazily as a few cars drove by, providing an unsettling background noise for the scene. _At least I’m not the only loser out tonight_ , Kuroo thought, squirming uncomfortably as a warm sensation overcame his thighs. _Damnit…I thought my sexual appetite would be shut down after Suguru sat down. Curse my omega senses! They can smell alpha, and they let themselves be pulled in even when my mind is repulsed. I really hate snakes and their slimy scales…_

“…What’s wrong with you?” Suguru asked suddenly, eyeing Kuroo with mild concern as the omega grabbed at his thighs, praying for the warmth to stop before it reached his groin area. “If you’re going into heat you probably shouldn’t be getting on a public bus.”

“I’m not going into heat,” Tetsurou sighed, anger rising at himself. “I just had it a while ago.”

“Oh…well…do you need like, water or something?”

“I’m depressed, lonely and broke, Suguru—what I need is sex.”

“W- _What_?” The snake nearly choked, taken aback by the blunt mention of what they both wanted out of tonight. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Just be quiet,” Kuroo sighed a second time, leaning back and exposing his burning neck to the cold autumn air. “Just…Just…leave me alone.”

_Because that’s the only future for me._

“…If you want to be alone, why did you go out tonight?” Suguru asked in confusion, breaking the awkward silence between them on the bench.

“I don’t _want_ to be alone, Suguru, that’s the point!” Tetsurou snapped, grabbing at his hair madly. “It’s not a choice, it’s just always how I end-up, so it must be how my life is gunna turn out, huh?! I’ll be just like my dad, except I’ll never have known love like he did, only for it to be ripped away—I’ll never even know what it’s _like_ , but I guess being alone forever is my destiny, so why fight it?!” The journalist suddenly stood up, legs weak from fatigue and a hatred of the world. “That’s what Kuroo’s are good at—dying alone with nothing to show for their life but a headstone in the fucking lonely cemetery. I guess I might as well pick mine out right now!”

Daishou was frozen in place on the bench, unable to take his shocked expression off Kuroo as the latter rested his arms over his head, eyes closed as to prevent frustrated tears from falling; the bright moon above was covered by fog, but the headlights from a distant bus down the street allowed Suguru a perfect view of Kuroo and his stupid athletic body, his unfairly long legs, v-shaped waist and unruly black locks that always made him look like some kind of dorky scientist—one of the omega boys in Suguru’s class back at Nohebi always said he wished Tetsurou was an alpha, because his strong, confident aura even in the midst of defeat was a handsome trait in mate selection. Staring at the bitter student now, Suguru saw what he meant by that. Even when the world was kicking him down, even though Kuroo was admitting defeat and accepting his fate…his heart wasn’t allowing him to give-up completely.

It was admirable enough where Daishou decided he may as well be real, too.

“No one…No one wanted to go home with me, either.” Suguru’s voice admitted bitterly as he stood up, standing a foot behind Kuroo. The bus was getting closer, but neither boy noticed. “Most of them wouldn’t even flirt with me because I wanted to get to know them first…that’s not what they wanted. I mean, I wanted to just have sex, too, but I didn’t…I didn’t want to do it _that_ kind of way, you know.”

“…Yeah.” Tetsurou agreed quietly. “Alphas act like that, too. Believe me.”

“It’s not so bad to want to sleep with a nice, familiar person, is it?” Daishou questioned to himself. “I didn’t think I was the only person who thought like that, but after getting brushed aside so many times…I got mad. I left and no one even said goodbye.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” The alpha chuckled humorlessly. “…Guess we’re more alike than we thought, huh?”

Tetsurou slowly lowered his arms by his sides, turning around to lock eyes with Suguru, whose desperate, sad expression matched the one Kuroo was wearing. They stared at each other with indifference for a short, tiny moment before everything changed: two winds blew from opposite directions, one blowing in Kuroo’s direction, and one blowing in Daishou’s direction. The conversation replayed in their minds as the winds brushed both scents into the other’s senses, the omega’s crashing against Suguru’s like ice water, the alpha’s seeping into Tetsurou’s like burning coals. The light buzz clouding Kuroo’s decision making skills blurred out all the high school hatred he had for the seductive, agile boy standing not a foot away from him, taking away every bad characteristic and leaving the black-haired student’s opinion blank, with the exception of only a name: _Daishou Suguru_. The heat bubbling inside his groin couldn’t be blamed on his instincts, now. His eyes flickered from those cunning, sultry snake eyes down to the pretty, muscular waist and strong palms, heart growing hungrier and hungrier. On the other side of the ring, Suguru was completely overwhelmed and overtaken by the familiar scent of Kuroo Tetsurou, Nekoma’s volleyball captain and leader who frustrated Daishou to the max by never giving up, always cheering his teammates on even when they were losing miserably, even when Nohebi was burying them into the ground by using their weaknesses against them. That powerful, disgustingly confident scent of warm pines, sweat and flower petals consumed Daishou’s weakening resolve as their earlier conversations triggered a realization between them.

_“…at the party you went to…did everyone kinda ignore you?”_

_“You wouldn’t be sitting here with me if you did, snake boy.”_

_“…If you want to be alone, why did you go out tonight?”_

_“It’s not so bad to want to sleep with a nice, familiar person, is it?”_

Kuroo startled the other boy out of his desires by stepping forward, face only an inch away, now, both their bodies reacting with heat and tingling sensations when their deepest thoughts were interrupted by the very person they were pondering over. Damnit. Daishou really wanted to grab Kuroo, really wanted to smash his lips against that rough pair, desperately wanted to rid his frustrations and previous hatred towards the college student by pressing him down on a mattress and fucking him like there was no tomorrow—meanwhile, Tetsurou had never felt so at war with himself, fuzzy brain torn between biting those snake-like lips off or nibbling on them until Suguru was weak in the knees. He swore he heard Bokuto’s voice yelling at him from somewhere in Tokyo, asking what the hell was going on, begging him to step away from Suguru before his scent totally dragged the omega in…but it was too late.

 

_What on earth am I doing…_

 

“Your place or mine?” Kuroo whispered lowly.

The silence was broken, solidifying both their decisions.

“Mine,” Suguru breathed. Why were his knees shaking?

“Let’s go.”

Daishou hadn’t even noticed the bus roll up and park near their bench, doors open and ready for them to step on; Kuroo grabbed his burning hand without another word, pulling the alpha behind him as he paid their fees before dragging Suguru into a pair of empty seats in the middle. The alpha’s heart was racing with excitement and hidden anxiety, stomach churning happily when he sat down as closely as possible to Tetsurou, whose body heat had exploded the second their skin touched. How come Kuroo was the only omega who smelled this good? How come he looked so sexy in the darkness of the bus, the shadows of the seat ahead of them? Suguru felt like taking him right then and there, but luckily this thought was distracted by Kuroo’s hand suddenly crawling up his leg.

_Is this really happening?_

“I’m a virgin,” The shorter boy blurted suddenly.

“Huh?” Tetsurou mumbled, hazel eyes shimmering through the darkness.

“Get to know me, quickly.” Suguru explained, already breathless. “Only three more stops until we get off. Get to know me— _please_.”

“What’s your major?” Kuroo asked immediately, licking his lips as his decision-making abilities slowly faded away to nothingness. His hand was inching further up Daishou’s knee. What else did he have to lose, right?

“Business, specifically international business.”

“That’s _hot_ ,” Tetsurou admitted stupidly, grabbing onto Suguru’s collar aggressively. Daishou had been eagerly waiting for this kind of reaction all night, but he certainly hadn’t expected it to come from _Kuroo Tetsurou_ … “How many languages can you speak?”

“Five; Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese and English.”

“ _Damn_ …how are you a virgin? (Here, Suguru kicked his shin as a small act of defiance) Favorite color?”

“Green.”

“Favorite place to be _bitten_?”

Daishou nearly bit his tongue in surprise when Kuroo ducked his head and playfully chomped at the alpha’s throat, leaving behind a deep indent of kitten teeth that probably turned red right away.

“Right—Right there…”

“How would you know, you’re a _virgin_ ,” Tetsurou snickered evilly, backing away to sniff at Suguru’s neck, where that delicious smell was oozing out from the most.

“Mnot…a _total_ virgin—”

“What does that even mean?”

“What about you?” Suguru asked, forcing his hands to stay still. Kuroo was having trouble with that part, seemingly forgetting they were on a public bus. “Tell me about you.”

“Failed journalist major,” The omega chuckled dryly, eyes glazed over completely. “Favorite color red…hate snakes…”

“Liar—your hand is practically down my pants already.”

“I didn’t say I don’t find them unattractive,” Tetsurou smiled. “…Ask me where I like to be bitten, Suguru.”

One more stop. The doors closed, bus moving once more, and Suguru swallowed, faintly recognizing the street signs through the window behind Kuroo.

“…W-Where do you like to be bitten, Tetsurou-chan?”

“ _Everywhere_ ,” The black-haired boy breathed heavily, eyes never leaving Daishou’s. “But…especially on my collarbone.”

“I take it you’re not a virgin, then?”

“I’m about as much a virgin as you are, I suppose—not _totally_ , but somedays I feel easy…up to a certain point.”

“Good to know,” Suguru sighed deeply, peeling Kuroo’s hands off his thigh despite not wanting to. “We’re here.”

“ _Finally_.”

The pair managed to keep their hands intertwined only around the other’s fingers and not other body parts as they stumbled off the bus, heading towards a fancy-ass apartment complex standing behind the bus stop. Tetsurou tried to hide his gaping expression, but there was really no sugar-coating the fact that Daishou lived like a college king; how much did he pay a month, Kuroo wondered. Did he even rent? Did he buy the entire building to use at his disposure? How fucking rich was the Suguru family? What did that snake do in his past life to earn a _balcony_? As much as Kuroo wanted to ask, there were more important tasks at-hand, like stopping himself from dropping to his knees inside the elevator and performing inappropriate actions in front of the security camera…Daishou wasn’t holding himself together any better, biting his lip as he struggled between grabbing Kuroo’s hips and grabbing onto the elevator railing. He really didn’t want to have to move after his neighbors witnessed him doing whatever the hell _this_ was, but if Kuroo kept somehow becoming sexier and sexier by the minute, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out.

“How many floors left?” The black-haired boy asked lowly.

“A-About three.”

“Ugh…”

“Didn’t know you were so desperate to sleep with me, Kuroo.” Daishou smirked.

“I will neither confirm nor deny that statement.”

The ding of the elevator went off eventually, and as they hurriedly walked down the hall towards Suguru’s apartment, a wave of nervousness coursed over each of their hazy minds; Kuroo was sure of his decision to have sex, but that unfamiliar task of pleasing another person started eating away at his brain. At least Daishou was a virgin, too—it wouldn’t be _entirely_ Tetsurou’s fault if the night ended in total disaster. Even through the alcohol Kuroo had a sudden worry about his omega instincts, if he smelled good enough for Suguru, if his body was capable of making the alpha feel good…in another world Kuroo wouldn’t give a damn about Daishou’s pleasure, but in this world, unfortunately, he was a nice person, and therefore wanted to get his own kicks by making the other boy feel good as well.

 _Be cool, Tetsurou_ , the omega’s last piece of morale reminded him. _Just go with your instincts. It’ll be fine. Don’t think about the fact that Suguru will probably tell everyone how horrible you are at sex if you fail. On the bright side, you can do the same even if it’s not true! Have a good time, and remember, always wea—_

“Hurry,” Daishou huffed, pulling Kuroo inside the apartment, abruptly ending the omega’s inner monologue. The second the door closed behind them, the shorter boy dropped his keys somewhere and locked eyes with Tetsurou; there was only a second more of hesitation where they suddenly remembered every occasion on which they had spoken before this point. When the second was up, Kuroo took two steps forward, razor cat eyes never leaving the snake’s as one hand went to grab at Suguru’s jaw, the left one falling down to wrap entirely around the business major’s thin waist. Daishou quickly found himself behind pushed against his own hallway wall and passionately kissed by his high school enemy.

An explosion of scents erupted inside the apartment, immediately weakening any resolve the alpha had remaining. He wanted to widen his eyes at the emotion and passion Kuroo’s kiss made him feel, but not wanting to ruin the moment he forced them closed, trying to find enough self-control so he could kiss back. Sure, Daishou kissed Mika in high school, but this…this was _totally_ different. This kissing frenzy electrified every nerve in his body, inspired him to grasp at Kuroo’s broad shoulders and press their stomachs together to get the show on the road. Tetsurou would never admit that this was only his second kiss (the first with Bokuto, who insisted they _had_ to be each other’s firsts), but with the way Suguru reacted he figured the question would never come up. Every stroke and movement were timed perfectly, always pulling the snake right back in just when he thought there would be an opportunity for breath; only half a second time for breathing through the corners of their lips turned out to be just right, and both boys were more pent-up than ever as Kuroo finally broke their make-out session.

 

“I must be out of my fucking mind…” Tetsurou mumbled against Suguru’s swollen lips.

“Guess I am, too,” Daishou smirked breathlessly. “Bedroom’s down the hall to the left.”

The atmosphere turned more heated at the implication, Kuroo letting the snake use his sharp nails to harshly take his jacket off and drop it somewhere in the hallway. Suguru clawed his own trench-coat off, along with the dorky green turtleneck Tetsurou kind of wanted to burn when they were done—the omega would have the honor of taking the third layer off later, though, a white t-shirt that looked _way_ too good on Daishou’s thin frame. Kuroo had to get rid of it to ensure that he wouldn’t find the alpha sexy tomorrow after burning the image into his brain. They somehow made their way safely into the bedroom, clawing at each other all the way and changing their kissing locations to each other’s necks; the combination of alpha-omega scents made the pair just as drunk as the alcohol had, and Kuroo wasn’t entirely sure how he managed to pull away long enough to ask a fumbled question.

“Hey,” Tetsurou groaned, lightly separating Suguru’s hold so they were face to face. “Are you…sure? You really wanna do this?”

Daishou suddenly felt pretty stupid for not asking the same question; he was the alpha here, damnit, shouldn’t that have been the first manner of business? This was probably why his dad always said not to have your first time wasted. Things got out of proportion, answers and reactions became confused, and things could very easily go South if Suguru was too drunk to see the warning signs on Kuroo’s face, if there were any. Why hadn’t he asked him on the bus ride? _Idiot!_

“Yeah,” He breathed, licking at his sinfully red lips. “I’m sure. Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Just…don’t say my name,” Kuroo requested, daring to smirk down at the other boy. “I can’t grow a boner if I keep remembering who it is I’m having sex with.”

“Shut the hell up.”

Suguru roughly tugged the college student back onto his lips, pulling the red plaid shirt down and off Kuroo’s arms. Their skin was burning with anticipation, scents colliding against each other like wind and rain; when Tetsurou finally managed to find the bed, he pulled the snake’s t-shirt down just enough where he could attack the bottom of his thin, delicate neck with tingling sucks and kisses. Daishou was impressed by this and by the fact that Kuroo lifted him enough where they both landed on the middle of the bed, the omega’s knee between Suguru’s thighs as he continued to assault the sensitive skin right above the alpha’s collarbone.

“How do you smell so _good_ …” Daishou hissed, head absolutely _reeling_ from the scent Kuroo was admitting. “Makes me wanna…take a bite out of you.”

“Me first.”

The alpha let out a surprised (but pleasured) wail when Kuroo lightly sunk his teeth into a tendon on his neck, like a cat attacking its prey—having enough of being bottom for a while, Suguru pushed the taller boy up, wanting Tetsurou to be the first person without a shirt on. Ignoring the raging hard-on tenting his jeans up, Daishou grabbed the hem of Kuroo’s undershirt and pulled; this proved to be a big mistake on his part, because while he always knew his enemy to be fit and toned, the omega’s advancement in this category was nothing short of amazing. As far as Suguru knew, Kuroo only played volleyball recreationally, now days, but from the looks of it, he worked out at the gym often. His smooth, gradual abs led down to a v-shaped waist, but not in a weirdly drastic way like bodybuilders—even Tetsurou’s chest was defined, collarbones leading towards even harder muscles on his broad shoulders and biceps. Suguru really wanted to run his hands down those muscles. Upon doing so, greedily grasping above and stroking every inch of skin he could, Daishou found Kuroo very responsive.

“ _Ahh_ …” The messy-haired boy gasped loudly, eyes fluttering closed when Suguru’s hand dipped down past his lower abdomen.

“You ready, kitty cat?” Daishou hummed evilly. “Feels like you are.”

The omega yelped when Suguru roughly grabbed at his boner, working it through the rough material of his jeans.

“Get on with it, snake,” Kuroo spat back.

 

There wasn’t much talking for a few minutes.

 

Minds racing, Daishou and Kuroo hurriedly pulled the rest of each other’s clothing off, throwing them wherever as their nerves silently got the better of their egos; the combined scents in the room were becoming too much, overwhelming every other sense they had and inavertedly revealing their anxiety. Kuroo was relieved after sensing Suguru’s own nerves, however, and the similarity managed to calm him down enough where he could focus entirely on Daishou’s body. Back in high school, he always hated how seductive the filthy volleyball captain looked while wearing his green jersey, hated how it accented his tiny waist perfectly, hated how those shorts made his hips look grabbable and tiny at the same time. Now, however, Kuroo appreciated the naked form sitting on top of him, and couldn’t help but bite his lip in anticipation.

_I’m actually…having sex. With a super hot guy…for my first time. Who would’ve thought?_

Suguru smirked darkly at how hard Tetsurou was already, even though he was on the same level; hickeys and bite marks covered both their chests, and the snake couldn’t help but add to the collection when he was tugged down again, chest to chest with Kuroo who desperately tried relieving some of the pressure on his cock by dragging Daishou’s lower torso against it.

“ _Fuckkk_ …” Tetsurou moaned against Suguru’s temple, overwhelmed by both sensations. “T-Too much…”

Daishou silently agreed. He had enough teasing for tonight and broke his bite on Kuroo’s neck, scooting back enough where he could _finally_ pull the other boy’s briefs down. He was not disappointed, and silently wished he had been born an omega—maybe another time they could…

“Come here,” Kuroo said suddenly, sitting up and diverting Suguru’s attention away from that weird thought. The alpha was being kissed again, kitty tongue diving inside until it was sure Daishou was distracted, upon which Tetsurou flipped them over so he was on top again. Suguru wanted to call him a bastard, but wasn’t able to form any sentences, voice caught in the back of his throat; the temperature rose even further when Kuroo took off his briefs completely, triggering another wave of scent oozing off Daishou’s skin.

“You’re hot,” He blurted out stupidly, cheeks burning before the last word even escaped.

“Thanks,” Tetsurou chuckled almost _shyly_. The shyness quickly turned demonic, however, when the omega leaned down so he was breathing right against Suguru’s lips, voice low and deliberate. “…I hope you’ll still think so when I’m riding you into oblivion.”

Daishou was stunned into silence by that remark, not mentally prepared for Kuroo to yank his underwear down and off his legs; he was granted a bit of relief when the omega found himself surprised at the contents beneath the briefs, forced into a pause for admiration.

“Like what you see, neko?” Suguru dared to smirk lightly.

“S-Shut up. I won’t even need to use _lube_ because you’re so turned on by me,” Kuroo retaliated, proving his point by running a finger over the pool of wetness soaking the entirety of Suguru’s cock, making the other gasp. He almost remembered how much he hated that cunning Nekoma captain, seeing him smile so evilly as he peered up with those hazel cat eyes…

“A-Ah…”

“Ready?”

“Yes,” Suguru whined, hair sticking to the back of his neck as he resisted thrashing under the omega’s hold. “Yes, I’m ready, Kuroo, just—”

 _Crap_.

The alpha thought for sure he just ruined everything, mouth hovering open after catching the mistake a syllable too late; he had opened the floodgates, called out his enemy’s name, triggering all those volleyball memories and rivalries and challenges…honestly, all Suguru had been picturing during their foreplay included every single one of those memories, Kuroo sweaty and tired during a hard-fought game, Kuroo reluctantly smiling at him in congratulations when Nohebi won a practice match, seeing Kuroo laugh with his teammates when he got a point against Suguru—why? Why had Suguru been picturing all those things? Why did he want to know what it felt like to be up and personal against a shirtless Tetsurou? Daishou was speechless as he stared up at Kuroo, torn between humiliation and shock; _did I seriously just cockblock myself by calling out Kuroo’s name?_

“Okay.”

Suguru blinked once, repeating that response over and over—he didn’t get a full chance to analyze it, however, because he was brought back to life by the sight of Kuroo adjusting himself on top of the alpha’s lower torso. Now things were serious. This…was really happening. Daishou was about to lose his virginity to his high school enemy. No—he was about to lose his virginity to a super attractive omega with messy black hair, pretty hazel eyes and ridiculously long fingernails that turned him on further by grazing over the underside of his cock as Kuroo readied himself. They probably should have prepped the omega beforehand, but through the alcohol Tetsurou and Suguru both forgot, were more focused on trying not to blow their load before making whoever it was they were sleeping with feel good, too. The nerves erased themselves for a few short moments, replaced with thrilling desire as a final wave of Daishou’s stupidly intoxicating scent rushed over Kuroo’s senses, hair raising on his arms before he took a deep breath and began easing the alpha’s erect cock inside him.

“Ah—” Tetsurou hissed at the burning sensation. “Mm…”

It would have been easier to remember everything (aka nothing) Suguru knew about sex if his head wasn’t so loose. Right now, all he could focus on was the sensations, the name of this omega erased from memory as Daishou felt a burning heat overwhelm the tip of his cock; with a flash, Kuroo had sunk down all the way, pulling a startled shout from the alpha’s throat. It was way too much way too soon, Suguru couldn’t even find words, didn’t understand why no one else wanted to have this experience with him with the exception of…whoever this was. When that warm, soft covering sheathed Daishou completely, the shorter boy’s legs spasmed violently, but returned to a stiffer position upon remembering he wasn’t the only one involved. When Daishou’s hearing finally turned itself back on, he immediately forced his eyes open and peered up while reflexes demanded he reach out and grab onto whoever was closest.

“You—You okay?” Daishou asked with a strained voice, his greenish eyes almost panicked as he watched from below, grip tightening on Kuroo’s waist. How was it _humanly possible_ to feel this incredible? How was it possible for Tetsurou, his mortal enemy, to look so _hot_ on top of him, entire body tensed with intent, large hands sprawled out on Suguru’s moist chest, his own sweat releasing more ounces of that terribly intoxicating scent.

“Y-Yeah,” The omega swallowed, forcing his eyes open. “Just…Just a second…”

Tetsurou probably should have waited a _minute_ , not a second, but details were not something of importance inside his blurry mind, and so only a second later he was rocking back and forth, hissing under his breath as he felt his body opening up for Suguru. Every touch sent burning sensations through Kuroo’s veins, every time those long slithering fingers tightened around his waist his heart began racing faster and faster. The alpha’s scent was overwhelming the omega’s, now, and Kuroo recognized a hint of perfume (probably some fancy-ass kind) mixed with something earthy and very pleasant to him, like fresh cut-grass in the dead of summer. There were too many feelings being thrown at the pair, but Suguru seemed to sum it up in a simple, dorky way.

“That…it…feels _so good_ ,” He panted, squeezing his eyes shut. The rich punk was trying to clear his euphoria enough where he could ask if Kuroo was okay, just to make sure before things really picked-up, but as his lungs were recovering from the wave of pleasure radiating through every nerve inside his body, Tetsurou’s amazed, sultry voice came through, subtly shattering any wall that previously stood between them using only two syllables.

 

“… _Dai_ shou…”

 

Suguru’s eyes shot open, locking with the cat’s blown-back hazel orbs; Kuroo would have been content to not mention the name of his mortal enemy during their sexual escapade, but…Suguru saying _his_ name all breathy and whining like pretty much destroyed any chance of that happening. Tetsurou had it in his head, now—he was having sex with Suguru Daishou. Suguru, whom he hated in high school, who he wanted to beat into the ground every time they played against each other. This person, this snake who he hadn’t seen up-close in a little over three years was taking his virginity, and vice versa. There was no sugar coating that fact.

But that still didn’t fully explain why Kuroo had given-in.

“Daishou,” The taller boy moaned a bit louder, lifting his hips upwards and taking most of that tight heat with him. “ _Ah_ …”

“Tetsurou,” Suguru dared to whisper back, eyelids fluttering closed for a quick moment of self-assurance. “More. Please…”

Kuroo had never really given thought to any specific details on how he wanted his first time to go. All he knew was he wanted it to be emotional but intense, gentle and rough—he was pretty shocked when essentially every single one of those desires were checked off by Suguru. The details had been brushed aside long ago, but the omega wasn’t wasted enough to not notice how Daishou’s grabs would alternate between reassuring and demanding, how his thrusts would sometimes be hard and focused, other times long and infuriatingly meaningful. Whenever Kuroo remembered to open his eyes, he would look to find Suguru staring right at him, forest-colored eyes like diamonds in the darkness of the bedroom as his attention raked over Tetsurou’s entire being. And still, with no awkwardness remaining, they continued with the name-tag game, doing exactly what they agreed to not do: remind themselves the identity of the person they were sleeping with.

“Fuccckk,” The black-haired boy groaned loudly, roughly grabbing onto Suguru’s biceps as a method of anchoring himself.

“Kuroo—please…”

“Ah—Ah! S-Suguru!”

Tetsurou didn’t know how long they had been going at it. Time knew no limit, and despite wanting to hit his climax at full speed, Kuroo wanted to prolong Suguru’s cries for mercy much more. The alpha had sat up, now, wrapping his thin arms around the other’s body, gripping at his ass while still pistoling his hips upwards; Kuroo swore he was dreaming. There was no way sex with _Suguru_ was this great. But it was too good to be a dream. He would’ve woken up by now, right? Those moans, those wails and noises, they were real. It was real. Suguru was rocking into him relentlessly the same time Kuroo was bouncing, the result a powerful storm bubbling inside both their stomachs; in Daishou’s case, especially, as he could sense his knot beginning to form. The alpha felt like his skin had been lit on fire, muscles weakening and aching for release as he pulled Tetsurou’s sweaty body even closer than before, until the omega threw his arms around Suguru’s shoulders. They were tucked inside each other, the snake managing a few bites and kisses here and there, even when the temperature continued to rise.

“D—Daishou, I can’t—”

“H-Hold on,” Suguru grunted, eyes trying not to roll back with ecstasy. “Just…hold on, Kuroo.”

Tetsurou found himself being nibbled into another kiss, a battle of the tongues as a particular thrust sent an alarming jolt through his body; Suguru seemed to sense it, being close as well, holding on even tighter when Kuroo’s legs wrapped around him for relief, starting to spasm out of control. Their groans gradually became louder, more high-pitched, frantically spewing out between their swollen lips, only interrupted by “casual” whispers of the other’s name. And several shouts of each other’s names.

“D— _Daishou_!” Kuroo cried, throwing his head back. “More!”

“I’m close,” Suguru groaned lowly, hiding his face in the omega’s neck. “Close, Tetsurou…”

Time slowed down for a long moment. It was a shame their entire session hadn’t been this slow, because both boys remembered every detail that followed; with one final bounce from Kuroo and a sharp thrust from Suguru, they came undone. Daishou tried to focus on everything at once, the way his abdomen spasmed in a flurry of ecstasy as he added to the burning heat inside Kuroo, knot forcing its way inside, the alpha almost trying to hold his groans inside so he could _listen_ —listen when Tetsurou cried out beautifully, back arching at violent speed and forcing his chest right up against Daishou’s, the omega’s release spraying against both their stomachs. All the while the alpha was still weakly moving upwards, even through the shocked contractions flowing throughout his entire being, adding to the thrilling high; Suguru would never admit to it, but he moaned into Kuroo’s shoulder and released another dribble of cum into the omega when his name was called out again, high, weak, hiccupping and full of need.

“Daish-ou! _Ah-h_!”

The waves just kept on coming the more Tetsurou shook and jolted in Suguru’s hold, causing his body to bounce every few moments, triggering another shot of pleasure just when they thought it was all over. Kuroo’s nails were still digging into the alpha’s back, increasing the sting every time the omega felt like he would explode from oversensitivity; they whimpered and huffed into each other’s shoulders until Kuroo’s body went slack, exhausted and spent, though he still held onto Daishou for dear life.

Following a minute of post-orgasm haze, Suguru slowly laid down on his back with a tired sigh, taking Kuroo with him, as their arms were still wrapped around each other. Every muscle in Tetsurou’s body was _aching_ , trembling from pleasure and fatigue at the same time; they laid in this manner for a long, _long_ time, not a single word exchanged between them aside from loud breaths and hardly audible whimpers. The bedroom was quiet, air still hot and stuffy from the pair’s activities, but neither’s brain felt clear enough to force conversation—such was the effect of having your virginity taken by your high school enemy.

Kuroo finally had enough of having a stick up his ass (for now…) and when the knot finally released, he let out a shaky sigh and smoothly scooted his lower body upwards, letting Suguru’s spent cock fall back to its original position. Against his better judgement the omega lifted his heavy head, resting his chin on Daishou’s warm chest while peering up at the shorter male expectantly. He didn’t know why he looked. Suguru still had his own eyes closed, having fluttered shut when they fell backwards onto the mattress… _has he always had a few freckles on his cheeks?_ Tetsurou wondered, feeling as if he was looking at the snake for the first time. _I didn’t notice those before…not even when he was so close only a few minutes ago. It’s a good thing I’m too tired to form feelings of regret._

“Way better than porn,” Daishou mumbled. Kuroo’s snort turned into a few low laughs, and a small smile broke out on the alpha’s sensitive lips. Where the hell had Tetsurou learned to… _do_ all of that? How did he make everything feel so incredible? How did he know exactly where to kiss, exactly where to move? It totally blew Suguru’s mind. He didn’t know Kuroo was thinking the exact same thoughts about him. _Him_ , the snake-like prick from Nohebi who just took the journalist’s virginity because he _asked him_ to! Luckily, there was enough alcohol in his system to push away rational ideas of shame, and instead of insulting Daishou like he normally would, Kuroo released a deep sigh and hid his face against the alpha’s chest, still wrapped around his body like they were lovers or something.

“Suguru-kun.”

Daishou peeled open his eyes and stared at the ceiling, listening carefully despite still being caught-up in ecstasy.

“You’re pretty,” Kuroo mumbled. “And…you were really great”

“Real—I mean…yeah,” Suguru nodded lazily. He would have blushed, but his cheeks were already burning red. “You were, too.”

“Mm…”

Feeling daring after being complimented, Daishou adjusted his arms so they were cradling Kuroo against him, rather than grasping aggressively like earlier; this was all he wanted out of a Friday night. Laying in bed with a familiar soul, tired and satisfied from a memorable session of…whatever that was…it wasn’t so difficult, right? As much as Suguru wished for this feeling to last forever, he knew it wouldn’t, and so allowed Kuroo to lay on top of him when they both began dozing off, heartbeats still recovering.

“Tetsurou…”

Following Daishou’s hushed whisper, Kuroo felt fingers drift up to get caught in his messy sex hair. The sensation felt nice, comforting, so he allowed it. Leaving didn’t even cross his mind, senses taken captive by Suguru’s stupid nature scent again, luring Tetsurou into a deep, peaceful slumber as both their bodies became limper and limper, held together by each other’s gentle grip. Combining this feeling with the soft strokes against his hair, Kuroo was the first to fall asleep, without suggesting they clean-up, without showering or checking his phone or even feeling regret. The omega silently guessed that was caused by experiencing content.

“Goodnight, Daishou…”

“Mm,” The alpha hummed, hand stilling as he sighed peacefully one last time. “Goodnight, Tetsurou.”

~~~-~~~

The next morning, Kuroo was the first to wake. It wasn’t a pleasant wake-up, as the omega was greeted by an aching body and terribly sore hips, a strange combination of scents in the air, and not to mention a really fucked-up feeling in his ass. After a few moments of lying there in agony, Tetsurou’s senses and omega defenses returned full force—his eyes forced themselves open, hurriedly taking in the unfamiliar bedroom, the light blue walls and fancy lamp on the table next to him. A rush of cold air on his hip immediately reminded him of his nakedness, and upon connecting that fact with the soreness of the journalist’s entire body, _especially_ his ass, and the fact that Kuroo was not used to one-night stands or sleeping with anyone at all, he jolted up in a total panic, mind jumping to the absolute _worst_ scenario for an omega college student. All those terrible stories he heard from his worried father came rushing back, warning him and terrifying him beyond belief.

 _Oh my god. Oh my god. Was I…did I…someone…someone…r-raped me?_ Tetsurou wondered, quickly throwing the covers off his body to check for damage. _No no no no…that can’t be true…that can’t be true…I wasn’t that drunk, I would have fought them off, right? I wouldn’t have let…I would have…I would have called Bokuto…_

“Oh god, oh god,” Kuroo whispered in fear as he quickly did a search of his body, looking for any signs of a struggle or forced intercourse. Aside from a collection of hickeys scattered across his neck and chest area, there weren’t any definite injuries or body parts in agonizing pain, but that didn’t mean Tetsurou had allowed someone to touch his body like this. There was dried cum stained all over his stomach, which was enough of a warning sign for the omega. In a hurry to locate the alpha bastard so he could cry and beat the living hell out of their manly parts, Kuroo jerked his head right, eyes landing on a head and a set of skinny shoulders peeking out from under the white sheets; just as the omega raised his hand to smack the individual, his memory did a 360 spin—he _knew_ those shoulders. He recognized them even in bare form, not covered by a green uniform. Kuroo froze with his hand still raised, mouth hovering open was pieces of the puzzle fell back together, no longer blurred by the alcohol or the denial…

_“Your place or mine?”_

_“Ask me where I like to be bitten, Suguru.”_

_“Me first.”_

_“…I hope you’ll still think so when I’m riding you into oblivion.”_

_“…Daishou…”_

_And THERE it is_ , Kuroo groaned out-loud, though Suguru didn’t stir beside him. _There’s the raging headache_.

“You have _got_ to be fucking _joking_ ,” The omega hissed at himself, close to tears but for an entirely different reason, now. “Oh my _god_ …”

Tetsurou flopped back onto the mattress, overcome with shame and hatred for himself. He slept with Suguru Daishou!!! His mortal volleyball enemy, the snake who almost cost him a trip to Nationals! Even worse, he allowed Suguru to be his first!!! What in the hell was he thinking?! Now Kuroo remembered, remembered letting himself fall into Daishou’s arms, remembered getting to know him and wanting to blow him in the elevator, remembered calling out his name even when he was the one who set the rules, remembered whimpering like a desperate whore in his arms and _oh my god_ he called Suguru’s name out when he was _cumming_. That was not something anyone could _ever_ live down, especially not Kuroo. Jeezuz—Kuroo even remembered asking if it was _okay_ , if Daishou really wanted to do this. Why the hell did the snake boy _agree_?! He must have been half-wasted, just like the omega was…sober enough to know who they were going home with, but not enough to care.

“I’m never drinking again for as long as I live,” Tetsurou mumbled bitterly, uncovering his face. “God, I’m an _idiot_ …”

Kuroo glanced over with anxiety, hoping Suguru wasn’t awake yet so he could sneak out without being noticed; the alpha was facing away from him, still sleeping soundly, probably dreaming about whatever sick things snakes dreamed about, like swallowing dead animals whole. Kuroo felt like a dead animal right now, swallowed by guilt and shameful memories of wonderful pleasure that he desperately wanted to feel again. With a grimace, the journalist slowly reached over the mattress and snatched his jeans off the floor, quietly pulling his phone out to read the string of panicked text messages all from his roommate Bokuto. It was 8:30 in the morning, now, and all the texts had been from last night sometime.

 **beefy bo:** _dude, where the hell are u? im watching ur kdramas without u   (11:48 p.m.)_

 **beefy bo** : _oya oya…did u finally hook up?!!!!     (11:56 p.m.)_

 **beefy bo** : _kuroo, seriously, plz answer. i’m worried     (12:40 a.m.)_

 **beefy bo** : _if u aren’t home by 9 I’m calling the cops!     (12:52 a.m.)_

Tetsurou had never been so glad to have annoying text messages from Bokuto. It comforted him until he realized he would have to tell his roomie about his Friday night adventure…with Suguru…their mortal enemy. Yeah. That would be a great conversation. Kuroo released a quick sigh and texted back to put Bokuto’s concerns to rest.

 **kitty kat kuroo** : _chill, bo, I’ll be home in half an hour. ur concern is touching, tho   (8:31 a.m.)_

“Mnmm…”

The omega peeked over his shoulder when Suguru let out a tired groan; he still didn’t wake, but a tent in the covers showed that _part_ of him had risen for the day. Kuroo had the audacity to _blush_ at the sight, trying to remember any details about Daishou’s cock that might give an explanation to why his ass was pleasantly sore from yesterday. Against his morals, the rest of Kuroo’s body began reacting towards the image, and when his scent began seeping out, Tetsurou knew there was no stopping it. Well…he already slept with Suguru. There was no shame in having a little more fun, was there? Of course there was, but Kuroo couldn’t forget the pleasure he experienced last night. _Sue me for wanting to get laid once in a while…_

 **kitty kat kuroo** : _make that an hour   (8:34 a.m.)_

 **beefy bo** : _I’m sorry, what?   (8:35 a.m.)_

 

Kuroo tossed his cell phone back onto the floor, gently pulled the covers off Suguru’s lower body and went to work.

 

In the midst of Daishou’s dream remembering last night’s events, his subconscious woke him on account of experiencing a much-too-real explosion of pleasure on his lower extremities. When he managed to open his tired eyes and peer downwards, the alpha was shocked by the image of Kuroo Tetsurou’s mouth moving up and down on his dick. The weirdest part was that Suguru had already woken-up; this _had_ to be real. But…why was Kuroo here, again?

“What…?” Daishou groaned in confusion, sore ab muscles jolting when the omega popped off.

“Morning, bastard,” Kuroo greeted lowly, lips soaked with pre-cum. “Welcome to the show.”

“…What…”

“I’m giving you a blowjob instead of a good morning kiss. You okay with that?”

“A-Ah…”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

It wasn’t very long into the blowjob before Suguru felt himself inching closer and closer to the edge, so he hurriedly wedged his fingers in Tetsurou’s messy black hair and tried pulling him away.

“Kuroo—stop, I’ll—”

“So easy,” The taller boy chuckled, reluctantly releasing Daishou’s cock from his mouth. “I was just starting to have fun, t—”

“Do you wanna do it again?” Suguru choked out.

Kuroo froze right next to the alpha’s cock, mouth hovering open, but not in a sexy way this time around; had he heard right? Was he hallucinating or something? Suguru didn’t just ask to have sex again. No way. Not possible. But that’s exactly what the omega heard.

“…Eh?” He replied dumbly.

“Do you…um…do you wanna…have sex again?”

Daishou and Tetsurou stared at each other for a moment, both trying to decipher the question Suguru spit out on a whim. Last night was…really nice, but…was there a ‘but’ at all? Kuroo couldn’t seem to come up with a reason not to have sex again. Maybe his hormones were getting the best of him. Maybe Suguru’s stupidly nature-like scent was getting to him. Kuroo loved the smell of grass and flowers and fresh air—but he didn’t really like Daishou that much. Not at all, actually.

So why did he find himself saying:

“Do you have a condom?”

A shocked smile almost slithered onto Suguru’s lips, but he managed to contain it by nodding quickly.

“In the pocket of my jeans.”

Kuroo scrambled off the bed to retrieve a condom, leaving the alpha alone on the bed, sitting with discomfort as he waited for the pressure on his cock to be relieved; it took Tetsurou longer than he expected to find the damn thing because Suguru had so much shit in his pockets, but eventually his fingers latched onto the little plastic square and he hurried back onto the bed, plopping down on his back and tossing the condom at Daishou. He was _way_ too tired and sore for another riding session. Suguru was out of luck.

“Do you—you um…” The russet-haired boy mumbled nervously, moving onto his knees. “Do you mind if I’m on top, this time?”

 _Why does he look anxious?_ Kuroo wondered, ignoring the twinge inside his heart. _We already did it once, and I just sucked his dick; isn’t that enough of a sign? I mean…if we were like, dating or some crazy shit like that, that question would be valid, but…not to say it isn’t a nice gesture, now. Whatever._

Instead of telling Suguru how sweet he was, Tetsurou chuckled lowly, watching closely as the alpha leaned over his body and lined himself up after slipping the condom on.

“So awkward…you still act like a virgin even after your first time?”

“Pf,” Daishou scoffed, pressing the tip against Kuroo’s opening. “You’re one to talk.”

Tetsurou was about to retort with sass, but he didn’t get the chance; without any warning Suguru shoved himself all the way in, ripping a loud shout from the omega that made Daishou freeze in his tracks.

“ _Jesus_ , don’t—tear my _ass_ open—”

“It—That hurt?” Suguru said in alarm, pulling out a few inches and furthering the pain.

“No, my ass is just burning like the fires of hell for no reason,” Kuroo groaned, eyes squeezed shut tightly. “Of course it hurt, you shoved it all in at once!”

“Well—Well, sorry, but that’s what you did last night, so I j-just thought you…”

“Ah…I guess you’re right,” The black-haired boy remembered, cheeks burning at the reminder. “My bad, I…I kinda…misled you.”

As he and Suguru sat there regaining their breath together, it occurred to Kuroo that last night could have been incredibly dangerous if they had met up with other people. What if they hadn’t met at the bus stop, and Tetsurou was taken captive by another horny alpha who wasn’t such a dork? What if Suguru had gotten even more drunk and acted stupid enough where another omega wanted to sleep with him? Kuroo didn’t feel so much regret when he thought about their situation from that perspective. Sure, he lost his virginity to his worst enemy—but, like Suguru said, at least they _knew_ each other. Awkwardness between enemies was better than tragedy with a stranger.

“Okay,” Kuroo breathed deeply. “I’m ready. Just take it slow, okay, Suguru?”

“Right. S-Sorry.”

Tetsurou opened his eyes to watch Daishou’s frightened, timid expression as he carefully pushed back inside, biting his lip to keep from moaning when he was fully in. Kuroo reached out and clasped his hands around the alpha’s forearms next to his head, letting out a whimper when they began moving together; _when did he get so stupidly cute?_ Kuroo wondered seriously, staring at the blubbering mess above his body. Suguru’s hair was one of the best distractions, messy and so unlike his usual style, crazy strands falling across that smooth forehead, tickling the tips of his short eyebrows; not only that, but Daishou’s eyes were weirdly shimmering, a darker shade than what Kuroo remembered from the night before. Morning light poured in through the window to their right, allowing them sight to what they had difficulty seeing the first time—neither boy would ever admit it, but this time around, they couldn’t stop staring at each other.

Suguru locked his gaze onto Kuroo’s furrowed, desperate expression, the way his eyebrows crunched together, the way his dark eyelashes fluttered whenever the alpha hit a good spot. The blush on Kuroo’s cheeks was almost a deep a red as the Nekoma uniforms, spreading over his body as they became closer and closer to the edge. Their gazes never left the other’s face, constantly moving, constantly seeking out another characteristic they missed, one they never noticed before, like the highness of Daishou’s cheekbones, or the muscles of Kuroo’s neck, still covered in love bites from the snake’s fangs.

Suguru really wanted to kiss him again, and he did, but to distract from how intimate this act was, he also grabbed hold of Tetsurou’s cock at the same time.

“Ah—Ah! Right—there, right there, Suguru—” Kuroo moaned against his lips, grasping at Daishou’s arms.

“Tetsurou,” The alpha grunted, pulling back slightly. “Tetsurou…”

Kuroo came first this time, yelping as Suguru generously worked him through it, still pushing for his own release; seeing such a satisfied, shameless look of pleasure on the omega’s face combined with that powerful scent did the trick. With Tetsurou still spasming around him, it was difficult to pull out and prevent his knot from locking them together again, but somehow he managed, whimpering repeatedly into Kuroo’s neck as he came inside the condom. Their pants filled the room, loudly echoing against the walls while their hands grasped at the other, silently begging them to come closer despite their “hatred” for each other. When Suguru fell to the left side, releasing the omega from his warmth, Tetsurou found himself mourning the loss.

_How did I ever find myself stuck in this mess?_

“Do you have any tissues or anything?” Kuroo sighed lazily, squinting at his covered stomach in disgust.

“You can just take a shower, if you want.” Suguru shrugged, wiping the sweat off his temple. “Um…bathroom’s right across the hall. Use whatever towel. I’ll make some breakfast, if you want.”

“Okay. Um…thanks.”

“…Yup.”

Kuroo accidentally released a quick laugh at their awkwardness, causing Suguru to chuckle as well; after a few more minutes of recovery, Daishou made the first move by groaning in pain as he eased himself up into a sitting position, rubbing at his aching thighs. Where had those scratch marks covering his back come from? The omega tried not to think about it. He got up a few seconds later, trying not to smear anymore bodily fluids on the dirty sheets, though Suguru said not to worry about it—Kuroo hurriedly grabbed his clothes and scurried out of the room, unaware that he wasn’t the only one blushing like mad. Now in denial mode, he pretended he didn’t hear Suguru sigh to himself and plop back onto the bed after Tetsurou left.

The journalist kept his thoughts clear during his quick shower, using shampoos and bath soaps that cost more than his entire wardrobe; the towels were fluffier than anything Kuroo had ever felt before, and he even considered stealing one or two to take home. His legs felt deader than the animal Suguru was probably cooking-up right now, and it took all his power to drag his sorry ass into the fancy kitchen, where the alpha, true to his word, had made eggs with bacon. Two steaming cups of expresso were sitting by an expensive coffee maker, and Kuroo was so caught-up in the lavish style of the apartment he barely realized Suguru was staring at him in confusion.

“Um…you can, like…sit down, you know.” He suggested in a mumble. “Quit freaking me out.”

“Right.”

Kuroo regretted glancing up at Suguru when they sat down across from each other at the island, because along with an old pair of volleyball shorts, Suguru was wearing a loose grey t-shirt—grey looked a little _too_ good on him. Tetsurou didn’t want to (yes he did) have sex again, mostly because he was too exhausted already, and so forced himself to stare at the scrambled eggs and bacon as he ate, but not before clearing his throat loudly, like that would push away Suguru’s…adorable tendencies. What was this morning coming to? _Cute_ _Suguru_?

“These are good,” Tetsurou complimented.

“…They’re eggs. Doesn’t take a scientist to make them,” Daishou huffed over his bite.

_Where has this ass been hiding for the past twelve hours?_

“Fine, I take it back. These eggs are _terrible_.”

“Prick.”

Kuroo snickered. It was kinda weird, sitting across from Suguru eating breakfast…despite their closeness last night and this morning, Kuroo didn’t know all that much about the guy. In high school he dated Mika, got dumped by Mika, almost reconciled with Mika before choosing to attend the same college as Tetsurou and Bokuto—he only knew those details from social media and a spy within the Nohebi school. He did know Suguru’s major, though, his favorite color and favorite place to be bitt—

_Oh god, don’t think about that right now._

“I’m gunna shower,” Daishou said, putting his plate in the sink. “Don’t steal anything, okay? I know it’s tempting, but I know too many lawyers; if I were you, I wouldn’t risk it.”

“Oh ho, rich boy has all his guns out.”

Suguru glared at him, a look Kuroo knew well, one that put him at ease in a weird kind of way. The alpha left the room in a hurry, not bothering to look back, maybe on account of his sudden shame over the situation; as soon as the bathroom door shut and the water drowned out any other noise, Kuroo let his head fall onto the counter and released a loud, frustrated groan.

“What am I doing?” Tetsurou asked himself. “I should have left before he woke-up…but that’s mean… _damnit_. Why did Dad have to raise me as a gentleman?!”

The omega accidentally spent his time thinking unwisely, forgetting to eat the rest of his breakfast; when he heard Suguru exiting the bathroom sometime later, Kuroo quickly shoved the cold eggs into his mouth and placed the plate in the sink. He was not mentally prepared to see a very adorable, wet-haired Daishou emerge from his bedroom dressed-up in his usual “chaebol heir” clothing—that same crème colored trench-coat covered his might blue turtleneck (what was with him and turtlenecks? Not that he didn’t look good in them…ahem), leading down to light tan dress pants and fancy black dress shoes. Suguru looked ready for a fashion show while Kuroo was wearing yesterday’s partying clothes, wrinkled and dirty and full of mixed scents that would probably make people think he was a prostitute. If it weren’t for Daishou’s wet hair and rosy cheeks, Tetsurou might have taken a picture of him and sent it to a modeling company—the adorable features made him decide against this choice, selfishly wanting that image to stay between them.

 _Keep it together, Kuroo!_ The omega warned himself. _Be cool!_

“Well…I better get going,” Tetsurou sighed, stretching his arms out so his eyes would involuntarily close. “Thanks for breakfast.”

“I’ll give you a ride,” Suguru coughed, messing with a few wet strands tickling his eyebrow. “We’re pretty far from the campus.”

“I’ll be okay; I walk from my apartment all the time, anyway.”

As Kuroo was slipping his jacket on (after finding it on the floor near the huge-ass living room), he noticed Daishou’s features turn into a frown, apparently at his rejection of a ride home; he seemed conflicted, wringing his hands together like he was resisting from aggressively responding with sarcasm or another form of insult. Tetsurou wondered why he was trying to be cool, now—did he think Kuroo would forget his dorkiness during sex, his seductive, desperate tendencies or the way he almost murdered the omega by breaking his ass in two this morning? He was acting like typical Daishou, now, the snake who cheated and tried to get ahead for a win.

“No offense, rooster-head, but I don’t think you’re in any shape to be wandering Tokyo on shaky legs,” He said, managing a half-smirk.

“Don’t flatter yourself—I’ve had dildos bigger than your dick.”

“Mathematically impossible,” Suguru said while grabbing his car keys. “I’m above average for my weight.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Daishou brushed aside Kuroo’s rejection, as all rich people do, and opened the door, leaving the omega little choice but to follow after with his tail tucked between his legs. They went into the elevator silently, trapped inside the tiny room as irritating music played above.

“You got everything? Keys, phone?”

“Yes, mother.”

“What, I’m not ‘daddy’ anymore?” Suguru snickered.

“I never—I never called you _daddy_!” Kuroo sputtered exasperatedly.

“Did so, when you were sleeping! You kept grabbing at me and—”

“You’re out of your mind, you know that, Suguru?”

“I only report what I hear, Kuroo-chan.”

“…Shut-up. I forgot how infuriating you can be.”

“Right back at you, kitty-cat.”

Kuroo tried to distance himself from snotty-Suguru when they entered the parking garage, but his attention was thoroughly distracted when he spotted the car Daishou was headed to—why did he expect any less than a silver 2019 Acura NSX, a fucking luxury vehicle that usually cost over $150,000, equal to seventeen- _million_ yen? This was absolutely _ridiculous_ , there was no possible way Kuroo was getting inside that car. It was an insult to his father’s mechanic salary of a mere $28,000 a year. No way. Not happening.

“Come on,” Suguru motioned, unlocking the vehicle. “Let’s go.”

_…Maybe one ride won’t hurt. But what a snobby brat!_

Kuroo reluctantly slid inside the passenger seat, immediately overwhelmed with disdain at the sight of shine, silver, more shine, more gadgets and more shine. Did Suguru polish this thing every night or something? It reminded him of Deok Hwa from _Goblin_ , the rich nephew of the Goblin, except the actor who played Deok was way hotter than Suguru. The stereo was just as fancy as the car itself, Suguru fiddling with a few notches before starting the engine, listening as it roared to life behind the loud music playing; the alpha quickly turned it down, pulling his seatbelt on and sparing a glance at his passenger, only to find the omega glaring at everything in sight.

“…What the hell is that face for?” Daishou questioned.

“A silver Acura NSX?” Kuroo smiled bitterly. “Top of the line stereo system? Fancy ass apartments in upper Tokyo? How rich _are_ you, Suguru?”

“My dad is a top executive of Japan’s largest accounting business,” Suguru answered simply. “Seatbelt, please.”

“Wow…you mean to tell me you’re a member of a _chaebol family_?” The omega realized, slipping his seatbelt on blankly. Daishou froze at that comment, jerking his head to the right to glare at Kuroo.

“A _what_?”

“A chaebol family! You know, in Korea? A punk rich kid who’s the heir to the family wealth! Haven’t you ever seen _Goblin_?”

“That weird Korean show?” Suguru snorted, backing up and speeding out of the garage before Kuroo could even blink.

The alpha’s snotty response prompted Kuroo to go on a six-minute long rant on the greatness of Kdramas compared to other national TV programs. Daishou pretended not to listen, but every once in a while Tetsurou would notice his eyes flicker over and watch his passenger talk; eventually, Kuroo ended his rant by confirming Korean alphas to be hotter than Japanese ones and fell silent when Suguru didn’t comment, only quickly asking where it was he was going before changing lanes. They actually were quite a ways away from Tetsurou’s side of Tokyo, and although he wanted to question why Daishou lived so far from campus, he remained silent, too swept up in his own reflections to ask about another’s.

 _I still can’t believe I let Suguru take my virginity_ , Kuroo thought, staring out the window quietly. _The worst part is that I enjoyed it; I won’t be able to deny that fact when Bokuto interrogates me. Damn it all…I would have rather lost my virginity to Lev or someone. Okay, maybe not Lev. But, at the very least, it wasn’t with a total stranger—that’s kind of a win, right? It would be super creepy to wake-up with someone I didn’t know. I’d be scarred for life._

“This the right turn?” Suguru asked, breaking Kuroo from his trance.

“Yeah. It’s around the corner—you can just pull up to the curve.”

Suguru did so, parking quietly in front of the apartment complex as Tetsurou groaned internally, seeing Bokuto’s car already in the lot; that meant he was home and waiting for Kuroo to return, a full investigation waiting. He really didn’t need that today, not when he was already so confused over what the hell happened this morning—to sleep with Suguru while half-wasted was one thing, but to do it willingly a second time when he had nothing blocking his decision making skills? Yeah. He needed serious therapy. Kuroo looked over at the driver’s seat, despite not knowing what to say, meeting Suguru’s equally blank expression; those greenish eyes stared at him for a long moment before Tetsurou broke the silence.

“Um…thanks for the ride. Walking home is a bitch when you’re hungover.”

“No problem,” Daishou waved off. He picked at the steering wheel for a second, collecting his words. “Um…thanks for…for last night, I guess. I’m not repeating that, so don’t ask me to say it again.”

“I’ll burn the memory into my brain.”

Suguru rolled his eyes and pressed the button that unlocked the passenger side.

“Well…ride’s over.”

Kuroo opened the door and crawled out slowly, planning to say farewell and forget this ever happened—his mouth was open, ready to speak and insult, but Daishou’s voice calling out to him ruined that plan forever.

“Hey.”

When the journalist student leaned down to peer at Suguru, he found the snake staring at him intently, a look that made those familiar butterflies from last night return full-force. Why did that keep happening?

“Are we…are we going to talk about what happened?” Daishou questioned, eyes vulnerable despite his earlier hostility. “Do you, um… _want_ to talk about it?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Kuroo chuckled. “I’ve never done this before, so I don’t know how the whole morning-after thing works. I guess…I guess I’ll just say…thanks. For being my first, and for not ripping my ass in two.”

“Pf,” Suguru huffed. “You’re welcome. And—sorry, if I hurt you. I really didn’t mean to. I may be an asshole, but I would never…do _that_. Seriously. I didn’t mean—”

“Yeah. I know.”

The alpha glared at him suspiciously.

“How would you know?”

“Despite knowing nothing about you, Suguru-kun…I feel like I learned a lot last night, and this morning.” Kuroo shrugged thoughtfully. “We’re not besties now or anything weird like that, but…well—I’m just glad I got to know you a little better. Like you said, it would be nice sleeping with someone you know, rather than a stranger. Right?”

“…Right.”

“Glad we understand each other. Um…do you want my number? In case you want to talk about it more?”

“Sure.”

Tetsurou was actually surprised the chaebol agreed to giving his number out. They quickly exchanged phones, tapping their numbers and names in before Suguru returned to his usual asshole self, flashing an evil grin in the journalist’s direction, probably to avoid thinking about how he just “casually” gave his phone number to his mortal enemy.

“See you around, rooster-head.”

“…Sure,” Kuroo huffed, giving him a smirk. “See you on the other side, serpent.”

The omega shut the door and watched Daishou drive away in his fancy car until it disappeared in the bustle of Tokyo’s city. Things could have turned out worse, he supposed; he could have slept with a friend, or an old classmate of his…that would be way worse than sleeping with his old high school enemy.

Right?

Apparently Kuroo stood there for a long time, because his roommate had come outside to retrieve him, the sun rising higher in the sky as another day officially began.

“ _Ahem_.”

Tetsurou reluctantly turned, coming face to face with Bokuto, his roommate with a pouty expression on his face, wrinkled pajamas on, look completed with crossed arms and a hip swung out.

“Young man, do you have _any_ idea what time it is?!”

“Hey, Bo.” Kuroo sighed in greeting, walking towards him slowly. “What’s up?”

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say?!” Bokuto shouted. “Do I even get an _apology_?!”

“Sorry.”

“Sorry for _what_?”

“I’m too tired for this, Bokuto.” The omega sighed again, walking alongside his best friend as they headed towards the apartments.

“Ah _ha_!!! So you _did_ get laid last night!”

“ _Shhhhh_!!!!”

Bokuto managed to be quiet for the first time in his entire life, although he made-up for it by staring at Kuroo with those wide golden owl eyes the entire way up the stairs. When they finally made their way into their shared apartment, Tetsurou tried to distract his roomie by asking a question about his night.

“How was Akaashi’s?” Kuroo asked, throwing his coat on the back of the couch as Bokuto scrambled after him. “Did you annoy Kiyoko again?”

“Well, yeah, but Akaashi told me I’m growing on her!” Koutarou nodded eagerly, sitting up on his knees so he could excitedly talk about his boyfriend. “And we played dolls until it was time for her to sleep, and then Akaashi and I watched one of those Kdramas you like, and…”

Bokuto had been dating Akaashi Keiji since their freshman year of college; Akaashi had a child, Kiyoko, from a previous relationship in high school. Strangely enough, they were a match made in heaven, Bokuto’s enthusiasm and love for children nicely completing Akaashi’s maturity and patience. Despite her original hesitance, five-year-old Kiyoko really warmed-up to her father’s dorky boyfriend as well, and they were practically family already. Yet another stupid reason Kuroo felt behind on life. Damn his depressive episodes that caused him to drink and sleep with the enemy…

“Wait a second…you’re just asking me so I’ll forget about you!!!” Koutarou screeched, hopping closer to the black-haired man. “So? Who was it?! Who’d you sleep with?!”

“Do I honestly have to tell you?”

“Um, _yeah_ , that’s what best friends are for, Kuroo! I tell you about all the stuff Akaashi and I do—”

“And I’m sure he appreciates you spilling those intimate details.”

Bokuto rolled his eyes and gave a little pout, but his mind was dead-set on getting every detail possible from Kuroo.

“Just tell me, please?!” The alpha begged. “Pretty please?!”

“You’re gunna be _so mad_ … _I’m_ gunna be so mad when I finally say it out loud…” Tetsurou groaned, leaning on his knees with agony.

“Eh? What do you mean?”

Koutarou was starting to get worried. Especially when Kuroo paused for a long, tense moment, only uncovering his face when he deemed himself ready to tell the story. The alpha thought maybe…like Akaashi, maybe Kuroo had been taken advantage of? The idea scared him. He didn’t want that to be true, and eagerly waited for his roommate to spill the beans.

“Last night, after I left a party…I met someone when I was waiting for the bus,” Kuroo explained slowly. “We…talked, and then he took me home with him. We…you know…had sex and stuff, last night, and…and this morning, too.”

“You dirty dog!”

Tetsurou smacked his arm and hid his face again, making Bokuto laugh happily.

“Seriously, good for you, Kuroo!” The grey-haired man said. “So—who was it?! Who was the lucky guy who got to pop your cherry?!”

 

“……Daishou Suguru.”

 

The world was still for a moment. Kuroo dared to peek out from beneath his hands, seeing Bokuto frozen on the other side of the couch, unblinking, mouth hanging open; he looked like someone had just stabbed him right in the chest with a sword. His lifeless, absolutely _shook_ expression made Tetsurou panic. Did he break Bokuto?

“Stop it, Bokuto, you’re freaking me the hell out!” Kuroo cried, swatting the other’s shoulder.

“S…Suguru…Suguru Daishou,” Koutarou repeated. “As in… _S-Suguru Daishou_?”

“What other snake do you know?”

Bokuto scared Kuroo again by breaking his trance and launching himself into a laughing fit, falling off the couch and grabbing at his stomach wildly as booming giggles erupted inside the apartment. A burn like no other spread across Tetsurou’s cheeks, causing him to duck his head into the nearest couch cushion, as if that would hide him from the humiliation he felt.

“AhAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Bokuto roared, tears falling from his eyes. “Suguru—ahaha _haaaaa_!!!!”

“Shut up, shut up!!!”

“Oh my godddddd, that is soahahaha…oh my _god_ …”

“Shut up! I feel stupid enough as it is, alright?” Kuroo groaned into the cushion, grabbing at his hair aggressively.

“Well,” Bokuto giggled, wiping at his eyes weakly. “At least you’ll never have to see him again, right? No way someone as proud as him will ever admit to sleeping with his mortal enemy.”

The omega paused his inner-hatred ramblings at that reminder. _Never see Suguru again?_ Kuroo repeated silently. _I mean, I went a few years without seeing him and survived, but…but…I don’t know…after you sleep with someone, after they take your virginity, don’t you kinda want to see them again? He may be a snake, but now we have history together. That has to mean something, even to a jackass like him, right? To never again see the person whose virginity I took…that almost seems…_

_Sad._

“Yeah,” Kuroo mumbled lowly, hoping his sudden strike of melancholy didn’t show. “Right…”

“Okay…aside from the fact that it was _Suguru_ ,” Bokuto giggled one final time, sitting up to lean on Tetsurou’s knees. “How was it?”

“…Really great.”

“Woah— _seriously_?”

“Unfortunately.”

“What does your definition of ‘great’ include?” Koutarou questioned, eyebrow cocked. “I remember in our second year you told me you wanted your first time to be familiar and…what was the word… _giggly_. Was it like that?”

“Not…exactly, but…”

Kuroo exhaled deeply and sat up, looking Bokuto right in the eyes as he reminisced on all those noises and movements, the roughness and tenderness…the name calling and disgusting amount of passion they poured into everything. Where in the hell had that come from? Repressed emotions bottled-up from over the years exploding when given the chance?

“We were both pretty wasted, so at first everything was quick and rough, but…when we got down to it, we both felt a little… _shy_ , or something? He was a virgin, too, believe it or not—I told him not to say my name during it, but he slipped up once and then after that I just—I just…”

“Um…are you telling me you cried out _Suguru’s_ _name_ when you were having sex?” Bokuto clarified with wide eyes. “You really are a dirty dog, Kuroo!!!”

The omega pushed his roommate away with surprising strength, wrestling him to the ground until Koutarou let himself be pinned, a suddenly tearful Tetsurou laying on his chest like bro-friends do often.

“…What happened when you were done, then?” Bokuto asked softly, sensing the drastic change in scents seeping from his emotional friend.

“Fell asleep,” Kuroo sniffled. He was so overwhelmed with conflicting emotions he didn’t know how to let it all out… “I don’t know why, but…this morning I…we had sex again, then I showered, he made breakfast and drove me home.”

“That was nice of him.”

“Yeah.”

Bokuto wanted to say more, wanted to ask more, but Kuroo’s heartbeat was beating in a panicked pace at the moment; not wanting to increase the omega’s anxiety, he decided on just being a good friend. Kuroo would explain everything when he was ready, and Koutarou would always be ready to hear the juicy details behind he and Suguru’s wild night.

“Hey Kuroo.”

“Hm?”

“Wanna take a nap with me? Akaashi kept me up late last night, and I’m beat. We can talk about your secret love for Suguru tomor—”

Kuroo lightly kneed Bokuto in the gut, but made himself comfortable against the alpha’s chest, using him as a big pillow. He could use a good nap right now. Maybe that would help clear his mind…

“Sure,” Tetsurou sighed as Bokuto recovered below him. “I’ll nap with you. Thanks, Bo.”

“No problem, bro. What are friends for?”

 

 _I know what friends are for_ , Kuroo thought, closing his eyes. _But what are enemies for?_

 

_September, three weeks later_

 

Life went on after Kuroo hooked-up with Suguru; school was busier than ever with essays, meetings and deadlines to attend to, and for a while Tetsurou didn’t have time to reminisce on what happened between them. There were some late nights he spent laying in bed trying to remember what it felt like to touch Suguru, to be touched by the alpha, and admittedly he jacked-off once or twice with the image of a sweaty, desperate snake lying behind him. No rumors flew around about the two of them, so Kuroo guessed Daishou had kept his mouth shut—then again, why would he tell his friends he slept with some random wannabe journalist who he used to play volleyball against? That could damage the chaebol’s reputation. The more Kuroo thought about this, the more offence he took to there being no rumors about their night together, and thus, the more depressed he became about his difficult degree and essays. Bokuto perked him up with surprise dinners with Akaashi and Kiyoko, but being with someone so intimately had caused the omega to crave attention and gentle touches; sure, Bokuto helped with that, too, knowing a lot about omega care from his relationship with Akaashi, but…

It just wasn’t the same. It wasn’t a _platonic_ touch Tetsurou wanted. To make matters worse, Kuroo thought he was beginning to make himself physically sick from the idea of _wanting_ Suguru, wanting to see and talk with him—Kuroo _never_ got sick, and over the past week or so he had bouts of vomiting and heavy nausea. He often questioned if he was secretly in love with Suguru, if their night and morning together had triggered an unconscious feeling that laid dormant for years on the cause of Tetsurou’s denial. But Kuroo knew he wasn’t in love with Suguru. He didn’t hate him as much anymore, but he didn’t know him well enough to fall in love. Even after getting over this mental hump, however, Kuroo still found himself sick, hit with dizzy spells and strange feelings in his stomach; he was more exhausted than usual, too, prompting concern from his nosy roommate.

“Dude—why don’t you just go to a doctor already?” Bokuto said over his bite of ramen one day in September. “You _never_ get sick, so what if there’s something seriously wrong? What if Suguru injected you with poisonous venom or something?”

“Injected me with—what are you talking about?” Kuroo groaned, throwing back another glass of water. “Ugh…my stomach feels so friggin _weird_ …”

“I’m calling a doctor. You better call your dad, too.”

“Why?” The other boy whined, frowning like a sleepy toddler. “I hate bothering him with details about my pathetic life. Besides, he doesn’t need another thing to worry about.”

“Come on, Kuroo,” Bokuto pushed lightly. “He’ll want to know if you’re sick. Don’t alarm him, just tell him you haven’t been feeling well or something.”

“Fine…but if I die, promise me you won’t let Suguru come to the funeral—I can’t let him spoil my name by revealing that we slept together. Nekoma would never remember me the same way.”

“I’ll remember that,” Bokuto rolled his eyes, dialing a number into his phone. “You go call your dad and lay down; I’ll see how soon I can get you in.”

“Thanks, Bo. I’m glad one of us is mature.”

Koutarou kicked at Kuroo as he sluggishly walked by, dragging himself to his bedroom before plopping down on the bed and opening his phone; _maybe I’m not eating right_ , the omega wondered, clicking on his father’s number. _But I haven’t been eating anything differently than normal…haven’t been over-exercising or anything…maybe I am just sick. I’m statistically bound to get sick a few times in my life. Stupid Suguru. That snake probably had a cold and gave it to me. I’m gunna give him hell next time I see him._

“Tetsurou, hey!”

“Hey Dad,” Kuroo greeted tiredly, wiping at his face. “What’s up?”

“Not much, just on lunch break; nothing too exciting. What are you up to? Have class today?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t go…not feeling very well lately.”

“Huh?” His father replied, tone changing drastically. “What’s wrong? You’re sick? But you hardly ever get sick.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’m sure it’s nothing serious, Dad.” Tetsurou said quietly, as to not raise more concern. “Probably just the flu.”

“Oh, well…you should see a doctor. There’s a hospital near the university, isn’t there? I can look up the number for you, if you want, and I’m sure there are directions on your phone…”

Kuroo really hated making his dad worry. He _always_ worried about him, despite being a relatively laid-back alpha, and his worries only increased after the death of his wife when Tetsurou was six. Mori Kuroo encouraged his only child to befriend Kenma Kozume, one of their neighbors, not wanting Tetsurou to grow-up lonely and isolated. He encouraged his volleyball endeavors, bought him science books and helped him with spelling tests in hopes he would excel in school; all this, Mori did while living on a mechanic’s salary. Despite being an alpha himself, Mori did as well as he was able helping Kuroo grow-up as an omega, making sure his son knew the in’s and out’s of consent and how to defend himself when his omega instincts were denying him a clear mind. He even helped Kuroo through his first terrible heat, taking off work for a few days so he could take care of his only son and make sure he was okay. It had been a bittersweet day when Tetsurou took off for college—honestly, he was more scared of leaving his dad alone than he was about going off on his own for the first time.

Kuroo really loved his dad, and he hated when something he did made Mori worry.

“—and you could probably get Bokuto to drive you, if he isn’t busy, or I could come down and give you a ride.”

“That’s okay, Dad, I’m really not that sick,” Tetsurou gently stopped him. “It’s probably just some omega stuff or something.” _Yeah, the shock from having great sex with my greatest ENEMY._ Couldn’t tell Mori that part… “Don’t worry so much.”

“Well…you should probably get an appointment anyway,” His dad suggested. “At least so you can give your old man a piece of mind.”

“Kuroo,” Bokuto whispered by the door. “They had a cancellation, so you can go in at 12:30.”

“What time is it now?”

“12:15.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Is that Koutarou? Say hi for me, I miss that crazy-haired kid.”

“I will. Listen, I gotta go to my appointment now, but I’ll call you after, alright?” Kuroo promised, wiping at the bead of sweat dripping down his temple. Why the hell was he hot? Stupid snake-ass Suguru.

“Okay,” His father agreed, voice trying to shield the anxiety. “Call me right after.”

“You got it. Talk to you later.”

“Love you, Tetsurou.”

“Love you, too, Dad. Bye.”

Tetsurou released a huge sigh and buried his head into the nearest pillow. Bokuto didn’t help manners by bouncing on the bed obnoxiously before landing near his roommate, poking the omega’s side to get his attention.

“Hey—you need a ride? I’m heading over to Akaashi’s for lunch. I can drop you off and come get you later.”

“Just gimme a ride over there,” Kuroo groaned, clutching his stomach again. “I’ll walk back. I need some fresh ass air, anyway…”

“Why don’t you go visit Suguru for that? I hear his ass is pretty fres—”

“Don’t remind me of that snake when I’m already sick.”

“Big baby—come on, we gotta hurry!”

“Right,” Tetsurou inhaled, letting himself be pulled up by the arms. “I don’t wanna keep them waiting.”

“Well, yeah…” Bokuto nodded slowly. “But actually, Akaashi’s making lunch, and he said it would be done at like, 12:20ish, so I kinda want to get there before it turns cold, you know?”

“Dick…can’t you think about your sick roommate for one second?”

“Hoes over bros, dude. I can call Suguru and see if he wants to give you a ride!” The alpha suggested happily, avoiding Kuroo’s swat. “Oh wait, I forgot…alphas usually don’t let omegas top until the _third_ date…”

The best friends bickered almost all the way to the nearby hospital, where Kuroo got revenge by _slowly_ pulling himself out of the vehicle, topped off by collapsing against the hood, dramatically clutching at his chest as Bokuto honked at him excessively. After their program was over the alpha wished him luck and drove off, leaving Kuroo to defend for himself; it wasn’t like he was _too_ concerned about getting a check-up. Omegas usually had one or two health problems throughout their life, but most were easily fixable with a diet change or some antibiotics. Tetsurou was a healthy guy (unless you put ‘sleeping with the enemy’ under the junk food category) overall, although as he walked through the front door of the hospital the image of his mother’s grave did appear in his mind. Despite testing negatively for the same blood disease his mother died of, Kuroo couldn’t help but quietly worry if something had changed, if his blood had slowly been taking on more of his mom’s cells…

 _God, please don’t let me go the same way she did_ , Tetsurou begged, walking up to the front desk quietly. _I can’t do that to my dad. In fact, please don’t let me be sick at all; I don’t want him to worry about me. Not anymore._

“Hello,” The receptionist greeted. “Do you have an appointment today?”

“Yeah—just a check-up at 12:30.”

“Name, please?”

“Kuroo Tetsurou.”

“Alright…looks like it’ll take a few minutes to set everything up, but Dr. Makiyama will be with you shortly.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

There were only a few other people in the waiting room, quietly keeping to themselves as Kuroo sat down near the window, fiddling with his thumbs while trying not to let his worries get the best of him; as a distraction, he decided to finally use the phone number under Suguru’s name and texted the snake a quick threat.

 **Rooster Head** : _hey snake, thanks 4 giving me ur cold. u broke my six year streak_

He got a reply almost immediately, making him snort; Suguru had nothing better to do than answer text messages from the guy who took his virginity?

 **Suguru Snake Scum** : _i never had a cold. and i have an eight year streak, so suck it_

 **Rooster Head** : _if I remember right, I DID suck it, and now I have a cold. rally killer!_

Suguru’s next response made Kuroo smile, but only a little bit.

 **Suguru Snake Scum** : _maybe u shudnt befriend guys at the bus stop anymore_

 **Rooster Head** : _at least not the ones who give me colds, like u, nasty snake boi. I’ll haunt the fuck out of u if I die_

 **Suguru Snake Scum** : _what a tragedy_

 **Suguru Snake Scum** : _stuff a tissue up ur nose, u’ll be fine, kitty-chan_

 **Rooster Head** : _I’m at the doctor now. We’ll see if u killed me by tearing my ass in two_

 **Suguru Snake Scum** : _god be with u and ur satisfied ass_

 **Rooster Head** : _thats kind, thank u. and it wasn’t THAT satisfying, Daishou-chan_

A pretty female doctor peeked her head out of the back room, glancing over her sheet quickly.

 **Rooster Head** : _gtg. See u_

 **Suguru Snake Scum** : _have fun peeing in a cup_

 **Suguru Snake Scum:** _wasn’t that satisfying my ass!_

“Kuroo Tetsurou?”

“Yup.”

“I’m Dr. Makiyama; how are you feeling today?”

“Okay,” Kuroo shrugged as he followed the omega through the doors. _A little better now that I talked to that bastard who got me sick. Is that weird?_

“Your paper says you haven’t been well over the past few weeks,” She read, leading Tetsurou into a private room. “I think we’ll run some normal tests, go over your symptoms and go from there—sound like a plan?”

“Mhm.”

As Suguru predicted, Kuroo did have to pee in a cup, and he was proud to report he didn’t spill a single drop; the journalist felt more at ease being at a hospital specifically designed for taking care of omegas, only having to smell other omega scents and not having to worry about pushy alphas running around. Dr. Makiyama listened to his breathing, took some blood, checked his blood pressure, heart and reflexes, also taking a sample of his saliva; there were many small infections omegas could get from medications or other methods of help to deal with heats and such, so it was recommending that Kuroo go through all the procedures just to make sure they didn’t miss anything. The longest part of the day was waiting for the blood tests to come back, but Tetsurou managed some amusement by hitting the reflex on his knee with the cool little hammer Dr. Makiyama left behind on the desk. They went over his symptoms, briefly talking about the sweats, the fatigue and vomiting before a nurse dropped off the test results. Nothing seemed to be terribly wrong with Kuroo, aside from his questionable mental stability the morning after he slept with Suguru—he wasn’t going to mention that unless it was necessary, though.

“Alright, let’s see here,” Dr. Makiyama hummed, flipping through the pages as Kuroo anxiously sat on the examining table. “Everything seems perfectly normal…blood pressure was fine, blood tests clear on almost every category…”

“ _Almost_ every category?” Tetsurou questioned. His fingers started going numb, remembering when his father and mother sat him down to explain the diagnosis, the trips to the hospital, how the chances of survival were slim… _please no. Please don’t do this to my dad…_

“Well, from what you’ve told me and from these results, the change in your hormone levels, I can conclude that you aren’t sick with any infectious disease or common virus.” Dr. Makiyama said slowly. Kuroo didn’t know what she was hinting at, anxiety growing by the second. “It’s not unusual for omegas to miss the signs, however; for people with your type of blood, the symptoms can be more along the lines of influenza. It can become confusing, especially in someone your age.”

“I’m not sick?”

“No, Kuroo-kun.”

“…S-So?” The omega questioned nervously. “What is it, then?”

Dr. Makiyama looked up from the papers to give him a steady stare; her eyes were warm, happy, lips tilting into a suspicious smile when Kuroo continued his confused look. The room was quiet for a second.

 

“You’re pregnant, Kuroo-kun.”

 

Tetsurou didn’t blink. He didn’t breathe, didn’t think, didn’t move a muscle for a long, painful moment. Dr. Makiyama waited patiently for a reaction, a bright smile still on her lips as she watched the news sink in. Instinctively, Kuroo’s hand moved to lay on his stomach, mind repeating those words over and over and over again…pregnant. _Pregnant_. Pregnant, as in…with child. A baby. Kuroo was…pregnant? He was going to have a _baby_? What?

“I…I-I’m… _pregnant_?”

“Yes, Kuroo-kun.”

“I—I…I don’t…understand…”

 _Pregnant?_ Tetsurou thought, eyes blown back and heart beginning to beat differently. The hand on his stomach loosened its grip, suddenly wanting to be gentle with the _baby_ growing inside him. _I’m pregnant. I’m pregnant with…with…_

_With Suguru’s child._

_Oh my god. Oh my god._

“I see you’re quite shocked to hear the diagnosis. Why don’t you take some time to think on this, and then we’ll schedule you into the maternity department check-ups, okay? I think they’ll have enough room for you…”

Honestly, Kuroo didn’t hear a single word Dr. Makiyama said as she escorted him into the lobby; he nodded when she asked if he had a ride home, not knowing what he was nodding to. He nodded when the receptionist asked if he was feeling okay. Okay? No, Kuroo was sure as hell _not_ _okay_. He was _pregnant_! He was pregnant with Suguru Daishou’s baby, the enemy of all volleyball enemies!!! He was pregnant, he was going to have a child, a baby, and now it all became clear, the night he and Suguru hooked-up, they didn’t use a condom, they didn’t use protection and now…

Now, Kuroo was pregnant. If taking each other’s virginities didn’t bind them together, this certainly did.

Tetsurou felt sick, even when he walked outside in the fresh autumn air; somehow he managed to stumble to the side of the hospital and throw-up in some nearby bushes without being seen, though the omega could hardly give a damn about reputation right now. Kuroo was frozen and a bundle of energy at the exact same time. His hands were shaking beyond his control, mind racing as he remained hunched over near the bushes, protectively hunched as to prevent anything from coming in contact with his stomach; now that Kuroo noticed, his scent had altered itself over the past few weeks—at first, he and Bokuto thought it was just because of his omega hormones being ignited from sexual activity or whatever, but now Tetsurou understood. It hadn’t kept some of Suguru’s scent as a souvenir; his body created a _brand_ _new_ scent for the other body forming inside of his stomach.

Like Kuroo always did when he felt overwhelmed or scared shitless, he slipped out his cellphone and forced his shaky fingers to dial his father’s number.

_“Mori Kuroo, here, please leave a message!”_

“Dad…me again,” Tetsurou forced out, keeping his voice calm and collected even though a few tears had already fallen. “Just got out of the doctor’s, and…”

_I’m scared. I’m so scared, Dad, nothing’s okay, I’m not alright—_

“And…everything’s fine.”

Kuroo swallowed down the tears so they didn’t show in his voice, straightening up a bit when a car drove by.

“Just a little bout of the flu, that’s all. Anyway…I think I’ll stop home next weekend, if that’s alright. I’ll bring home some lunch Saturday morning. See you then. And…I love you.”

The omega hung-up, pressing the phone to his head as the tears began to flow steadily down his cheeks; they weren’t so much out of _anger_ than they were of fear, and a hell of a lot of shock. Kuroo’s immediate reaction wasn’t hatred for the baby or hatred for Suguru or even his dumbass self for being so drunk as to not remember protection—his heart wasn’t racing angrily. It was a mix of awed excitement and terrifying, paralyzing fear. When Bokuto suddenly came driving up honking at him, Kuroo wasn’t even surprised; he didn’t have any unsuspecting nerves left to be surprised, not after what Dr. Makiyama told him.

“Hey hey hey!” Bokuto shouted, rolling his window down and calling out to Kuroo on the sidewalk. “Need a ride home, kid? I’ve got lots of _can-dyyyy_!”

Wordlessly, Tetsurou slipped his phone away, hurriedly wiped the tear streaks off and scooted into the passenger seat, slamming the door shut behind him; Bokuto’s grin quickly faded when he noticed the pale, uncharacteristic like expression on his best friend’s face.

“Hey…what is it, Kuroo?” The alpha asked gently. “Are you sick? What’s wrong?”

Kuroo sniffled violently, momentarily covering his face as more tears threatened to spill out. There was no hiding it, anymore…he might as well be straight-up with Bokuto. His roommate could very well be the only person who might help him. In this state of mind, Kuroo didn’t know how his other high school friends would react, suddenly feared that his father might be disappointed in him, that Mori might become so depressed he would cut-off all contact with his only child. _What have I done?_ Kuroo wondered, viciously biting his lip as Bokuto waited nervously beside him. _Why am I dragging everyone down with me?_

“Kuroo…you can tell me. Whatever is it, we’ll get through it, okay? Just tell me what’s wrong.”

“N-No, it’s…I’m not…” The omega shook his head, unable to get his words together. Bokuto scooted closer over the arm rest, watching with careful eyes as Kuroo finally swallowed enough tears down to spit the words out.

“I’m pregnant,” He confessed tearfully.

Koutarou blinked a couple times before a slow smile stretched across his lips, arm going out to grab Kuroo’s shoulder excitedly.

“Hey…that’s _great_ , Kuroo!” The alpha said cheerfully. “Congrats!!!”

“W-What? Bokuto, that’s not—w-well, I mean, I’m not…I’m not…unhappy, but—but—”

“Scared shitless, yeah,” Bokuto joked. “But a _baby_ , Kuroo! That’s so awesome!!!”

Kuroo couldn’t believe what was happening. Why was his roommate more excited about this than him? Did that already make him a shitty parent? Oh man, his kid was going to grow-up to be a _serial killer_ …

“H-How are you so _calm_?”

“My boyfriend has a kid, remember? He’s taught me a lot about Kiyoko and raising a child! They’re totally _great_!” Bokuto beamed. Kuroo could only look over in amazement, watching his friend explain the recent strike of responsibility he put upon himself after meeting the love of his life. “Akaashi told me all about how it’s _totally_ terrifying at first, especially for him, you know, cause he was assaulted by his ex, but once you get over the first phase of fear, being a parent is an incredible feeling!”

“…I…I guess…”

“Yeah! And you love kids, and kids love you, so what’s the issue?” Koutarou questioned.

“Suguru. _Suguru_ is the issue.”

 _Oh no_ , Kuroo worried again, grabbing at his hair and tugging. _How the hell am I going to tell Suguru?! He’s totally going to think I’m making it up for money or something. I can’t have that conversation, not now, not ever._

“Wait a second,” Bokuto said, interrupting his thoughts. “… _Suguru_ is the father?”

“Of course Suguru’s the father, you _dumbass_!!!” Tetsurou cried, smacking his roommate’s arm.

“Woah man, don’t take your hormones out on me!”

“S-Sorry…I’m just…I’m so fucking _scared_ right now, Bo.” Kuroo continued with a new batch of tears. He pulled his legs up to his chest, thinking that would hold him together. “I don’t know how he’ll react. What if he wants me to get an _a-abortion_? There’s no way in _hell_ I’m doing that, but what if he _wants_ me to? What if he refuses to even speak to me? What if h—”

“Dude.”

Bokuto stopped Kuroo’s hiccupping breathing pattern by yanking him over the arm rest and pulling him into a big, tight hug. His alpha scent engulfed the omega comfortingly, immediately easing the tension in his shoulders; Tetsurou couldn’t help but hug Bokuto back, thankful for receiving what he so desperately needed right now. With the initial panic easing away, Kuroo could finally think straight, nodding and listening to Koutarou’s words.

“Calm down, bro.” The larger boy said quietly. “It’ll be okay…you and baby Kuroo are going to be just fine. Right?”

“…R-Right,” Tetsurou swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut. “We’ll be…we’ll be okay.”

The pair hugged for a while, still sitting in a no park zone outside the hospital; Bokuto’s phone rang suddenly, and he answered it while still having his arms wrapped around an emotionally exhausted Kuroo.

“Hey, ‘Kaashi, guess what?! Kuroo’s _pregnant_!”

“Dude…”

“ _Wow…congratulations, Kuroo-san_ ,” Akaashi said through the phone.

“Thanks,” The omega sighed deeply, returning to his spot in the passenger seat.

“ _My news isn’t nearly that exciting; you forgot your coat here, Bokuto-san_.”

“Ah man! Will you wear it around so it smells like you when I get it back?!”

Akaashi hung-up (though he silently agreed), getting a snort out of Kuroo and a whiney wail from the alpha. Bokuto tucked his phone away and sped out of the no-park zone, entering the traffic with much cheer, fantasizing about the day when he and Kuroo’s children could play together. It would be a lot of fun having volleyball matches, arm wrestling championships…

 _But first thing’s first_ , Koutarou told himself, sparing another glance at his friend. _Kuroo has to get on board with the situation._

“You know,” Bokuto began as they cruised down the street. “I’m glad you’re having a kid before me, Kuroo. That way I can learn and prepare for when ‘Kaashi and I have our first kid! It’ll be super fun, we can have, like, dad competitions or something!”

“Yeah.”

“And Kiyoko can be their super awesome older sister figure, and Akaashi and Suguru can set up play dates while we go to a karaoke bar! I’ve got it all planned out!”

“Can you plan the part where I have a _child_ in nine months and spend the rest of my life worrying about the poor thing?” Tetsurou mumbled. “Man, I’m gunna be all alone, just like my dad, except I’ll never know what true love is like—I’ll never have what my parents had with _Suguru_ , of all fucking people…”

“Dude, I hate to say this to a pregnant omega, but _chill out_ ,” Bokuto stressed. “You have the rest of your life to worry about the baby; why not be happy about them right now?”

Kuroo silently wondered when _Bokuto_ became more mature than him. It probably had something to do with Akaashi and Kiyoko. Love changes people, it seemed—and even though only a good fifteen-minutes had passed since Kuroo found out about his pregnancy, the omega already knew he loved the baby. Yes, it had been thrown upon him suddenly and turned the entire world upside down, but now that Tetsurou knew he was the protector, the caregiver for a little baby, his little baby…well—Bokuto was right.

“I am happy,” Kuroo admitted softly. He peered down at his tummy despite there not being a bump yet. “I’m…I’m really happy I’m going to have a baby. I’m already eager to meet them already, and…and I hope I can give them everything they need.”

“That’s the spirit! And I’m happy, too, because now I have a godchild!”

“Sorry, what?”

“You’re gunna name me godparent, right?” Koutarou clarified, as if it were obvious. “I’ll convince Akaashi to make you ours when we have a kid together!”

“Fine…but I’m not naming the baby after you.”

“I’ll settle for a middle name.”

“Shut up,” Kuroo smiled.

 

Bokuto was happy to see that smile, and felt even happier when it lasted the rest of the day.

~~~-~~~

Kuroo was going to be a parent.

Was he ready in the slightest? Absolutely not. Was he excited to give birth? Not at all. Was he looking forward to having a child to nurture and love for the rest of his life? A thousand times yes. Once the initial shock wore off and once his mind mercifully allowed him to forget about Suguru’s involvement for a few days, Tetsurou realized just how joyful he really felt. He always loved children, couldn’t wait to have some of his own and fill the house with noise and racket and broken vases—Mori always said he wanted a “cart full” of grandchildren so his home wouldn’t be lonely in his old age. Kuroo hoped he would be able to find that special someone in the midst of whatever the hell this thing with Suguru was, so that his kids wouldn’t grow-up with weird age gaps and seven different fathers. For now, however, he focused on the idea of holding a baby in his arms, changing dirty diapers and being woken up in the middle of the night from crying…most parents (especially young parents like himself) were probably pissed at the idea, but Kuroo was a perfect combination of both his parents where the image of children put nothing but happy feelings into his heart. His mother loved to nurture and teach, and his father loved to baby and listen; hopefully, if Tetsurou was lucky enough, he would be as good a parent to his child as his parents were to him.

It was the perfect time to have a marathon of _Good Doctor_ , the Japanese TV series about an autistic pediatric doctor. That was Kuroo’s celebration party, shared with Bokuto and occasionally Akaashi. There were a million things to change and worry about, but they were all pushed aside for a few days of euphoria.

 

Four days after Kuroo accidentally discovered his pregnancy, the omega found himself holding a stack of papers and standing in front of the college’s business degree wing.

 

 _It’ll be fine_ , Tetsurou lied to himself, swallowing the last of his fear before slowly walking towards the campus. _It’ll be okay. Just be calm and collected…you have your proof, and if he still doesn’t believe you that’s his problem. Bokuto will help you beat the shit out of him later. Be cool. Be calm. Do it for the baby!_

Kuroo tightened his grip on the papers to stop his hands from trembling ever so slightly before advancing forward, walking across the cobblestone leading towards Suguru’s domain; there were herds of students wandering around, just finishing with class or club meetings, and all too soon the omega spotted Daishou standing amongst a group of friends—aka, the rest of Japan’s _chaebol_ population. Even more unfortunately, Suguru looked the best out of all, navy blue long-sleeved shirt winding down his thin waist, suddenly covered by that disgustingly handsome trench coat…now was _not_ the time to remember their night together. Kuroo pushed the sexy images away, swallowing once more before forcing his legs into movement. The group of five or six boys didn’t notice his presence, but Suguru did, doing a double take when he recognized Tetsurou; their eyes met, almost making the journalist want to sprint the opposite direction, but luckily Suguru looked away soon enough where Kuroo didn’t become terrified of that snake-like expression. His heartbeat pounded, his anxious omega scent barely contained, but somehow the young man managed to capture Daishou’s attention upon approaching, stopping a few feet away from their rich boy crew.

“Suguru,” Kuroo addressed, interrupting their conversation. “…Can I talk to you?”

A few of the other boys glanced over, first at Tetsurou then back at Daishou, who focused his gaze on the omega’s guarded expression. He certainly hadn’t expected Kuroo to confront him in person, although the random text conversation from last week prompted Suguru’s interest; the alpha figured Tetsurou wanted to form some kind of enemies-with-benefits type of thing or something. He wished he could say the idea didn’t tempt him. Despite his silent denial, that night from August replayed in his mind, as it had every night since Kuroo Tetsurou took his virginity.

_“Your place or mine?”_

_“Hey…are you sure? You really wanna do this?”_

“…Sure,” The snake nodded, eyebrows raised somewhat. “I’ll see you guys later, alright?”

“See you, Daishou-chan.”

“Don’t be late for class next time.”

This was the first time Kuroo had been so close to Suguru since he was dropped off at the apartments that morning. When the business major (who spoke several sexy languages) began walking side by side with Tetsurou, the omega couldn’t force away those memories, the burning touches, the crying of each other’s names, the dorky conversations and pathetic insults…

_“You ready, kitty cat? Feels like you are.”_

_“You’re **hot**.”_

“Let’s go over here,” Suguru said, motioning to the side of the college wing. Kuroo followed silently, fingers crushing the papers in his right hand as he trailed after, wondering if he really had enough nerve to tell him…well, about their recent _connection_. Under normal competitive circumstances, yeah, the ex-volleyball captain wouldn’t hesitate, but that was in the past. Hopefully they were both more mature now, mature enough to handle the situation like men, not angsty, full of attitude teenage boys who hated each other and took their anger out on the court. Kuroo didn’t do a thorough job of hiding his nervousness, repeatedly rubbing at his face and grabbing at his coat, prompting Suguru to begin their conversation once they were stopped at a quiet portion of the schoolyard, hidden in the shadow of the school.

“Could it be?” Daishou teased, smirk slipping to his lips. “The ever-so-cool Kuroo Tetsurou coming back for more? I knew you could be shameless, kitty-chan, but this is straight-forward, even for you.”

No response. Tetsurou was looking at him, but his hazel cat eyes were in an entirely different world. _Alrighty then…_

“So…what was so important that you had to pull me away from my friends? First you text me out of the blue, now you’re taking me aside for some up-close ogling? That’s a good confidence booster for me, but you’re not giving yourself any cred—”

“I’m pregnant.”

Suguru’s expression froze and fell at the same time. His eyes took on a shade of darker green, staring at Kuroo wordlessly, waiting for a further explanation while he silently repeated those two words over and over. All traces of mockery were erased completely, replaced by shock and almost disbelief. Kuroo…was _pregnant_? What? The silence wasn’t very encouraging, but Tetsurou understood his surprise and used his own experience to continue on, glad he had a chance to talk before Suguru reclaimed his voice and went total ape-shit.

“I’m pregnant, and…it’s y-yours, Daishou.”

Kuroo’s hands were shaking again, but he held the papers that proved his pregnancy out towards Suguru with a brave expression; those snake eyes were wider than ever, staring at the omega for a long moment before flittering down to the stapled documents, slowly accepting them without a single word. Kuroo watched him scan over the words with a totally blank, unreadable expression while the journalist mentally collected the script he and Bokuto came up with in defense of the baby, should Suguru wish for an abortion or to never be involved.

_Kuroo’s pregnant, and…it’s mine. It’s mine? How…what…what? Kuroo is pregnant with MY child?_

“I’m…I’m not expecting you to take responsibility or anything. I just wanted you to know so you wouldn’t come back in ten-years and try to take them from me or something…” The journalist sucked in a quick breath, Suguru listening despite being shocked to silence. “I can handle it myself, so if you don’t want to be involved, I understand. If you need time to th—”

“I’m happy.”

Tetsurou thought another person had entered the conversation. He forced himself to look up at Suguru’s eyes, finding them still locked on the paper, but addressing him—had he heard correctly? Suguru said…he was happy?

“…Huh?”

The green shade had turned lighter, speckled with bright brown flakes when Daishou glanced up at Kuroo, and the omega was shocked to see a few drops of tears forming, glossing over the snake’s eyes and threatening to fall from his eyelids. His mouth hovered open for a few seconds before more shocking words tumbled out.

“I’m happy, Kuroo,” Suguru repeated weakly. “I’m happy you told me.”

“You…y-you _are_?” Tetsurou choked.

“Yes. I mean, I…I’m pretty _shook_ right now, to be honest, but I’m not going to _abandon_ you and our child,” Daishou said proudly, the tears getting closer and closer to falling. “I’m really, _really_ happy.”

_You and our child…you and OUR child…_

“I—I need to sit down,” Kuroo said suddenly, the shock making his knees weak, his stomach churn. Luckily there was a bench under a few bare trees a couple steps away—he sunk into it immediately, leaning over to catch his breath as Suguru collapsed on the spot next to him, body limp even as he put a hand on Tetsurou’s back to steady him. To think, he had been strutting around the last few days not knowing he was going to be a _father_ ; life really was unexpected. He and Kuroo were going to be parents. _Together_.

“Wow,” The alpha exhaled shakily, still clutching the papers in his hand, the other tightening on Kuroo’s back. “You…You’re really _pregnant_. With _my_ child. How…how did that…how did this _happen_?”

“You know how, dumbass,” Kuroo mumbled, face flushed as he sat up. “We were so focused on the quality of the sex we forgot to use a condom the first time. I really don’t see why people think getting wasted is fun…”

“Well I know that much, but I’m—I just…don’t get how it happened to _you and_ _me_.”

Believe it or not, Tetsurou understood what Suguru meant. They were enemies, enemies who hadn’t spoken since high school, despite attending the same school and wandering the same campus; they spat insults at each other during volleyball, mocked each other and played with a burning hatred for the other’s playing style, and now, those same two kids were having a baby. _To-ge-ther_. After a night and morning of a weird string of sexual events that confused Kuroo’s emotions to the max.

If anyone had come from the future and told Kuroo about this, he would have never believed them.

“I didn’t expect you to… _agree_.” Tetsurou admitted quietly, autumn breeze lightly blowing against their faces. “I had it all in my head that I was going to be a single parent, and now I’ve got a snake in the picture.”

Suguru’s elbow gently pushed into Kuroo’s arm, a scoffing noise exiting his lips, though it was filtered by a small little smile. The two boys looked over at the same time, eyes locking as the realization finally hit home—this. This was how things were going to be from now on. Sitting on a bench outside a college building, together, Suguru and Kuroo. The chaebol and the mechanic’s son, side by side, listening to the crunching of the leaves and the blowing of the wind. Those two and the addition of another, growing inside Kuroo’s stomach, ready to take on the world. That was their future. Together.

Who would’ve thought?

A solid ten-minutes passed with peaceful, exciting silence between them. The entire universe seemed far away, free of angst and danger and pain, replaced by the isolated, cheerful images of a baby, maybe a girl, maybe a boy, running around on the living room floor, grabbing toys and screeching happily, giggling from tickle fights and funny faces. Nothing else mattered, suddenly, compared to that high—not Suguru’s business degree, not Kuroo’s journalist dreams, not volleyball games or team camps…as shocking as it was to the sport lovers, they couldn’t really think of anything else that could compare to the smile of their baby, whoever they may be. This feeling alone brought them together, helped by those hidden emotional desires from the very night that created this moment.

“So we’re really gunna do this? Together?” Kuroo asked fearfully, giving Suguru a hopeful look.

“If you’ll let me,” Daishou replied quietly.

Tetsurou looked away and gave a relieved sigh, nodding in agreement.

“Listen—I’m not cooperating because I’m secretly in love with you or something,” The omega clarified seriously. “I’m doing it so the baby won’t have to live between fighting parents and go their entire life wondering if they were a mistake. So…if we’re doing to do this, we have to do it perfectly. No more selfish college kids. Parents, adults—got it?”

Suguru nodded frantically. Kuroo tried not to admire how quickly his eyes changed colors, going from shocked green to determined brown in a flash. He really hated this punk and his stupid, beautiful ass.

“Well…first thing’s first; I’m gunna let this sink in,” Daishou exhaled shakily, slowly standing from the bench. Kuroo mimicked the action, facing the alpha confidently, now that he regained feeling in his legs. “Are you heading home? Do you want a ride?”

“No thanks. I’m in serious need of fresh air right now.”

“Alright. We’ll discuss the living situation and…everything else soon. I’ll text you tonight, okay?”

The brown-haired boy suddenly ducked his head, hands squirming at his sides, like he was nervous or unsure about what to do next.

“Um…do you, uh…”

Kuroo made the first move, throwing his arms around Suguru and hugging him close. The alpha was shocked, but hugged back immediately, wrapping the journalist up like he did all those weeks ago; Tetsurou’s scent fluttered around, the relief inside its power obvious, and he figured he really owed Daishou a solid thank you. There were so many different ways this could have played out…Suguru could have triggered another wave of self-hatred and loathing from Kuroo, could have angered him by demanding an abortion to save his reputation, could have said some horrible things, blamed the entire situation on Tetsurou’s omega status, but instead…instead, Daishou was _staying_. He wanted to help. He wanted to be with the baby. He was _happy_. Honestly, Kuroo considered it a miracle, and hugged the alpha even closer, letting both their scents combine in the air around them.

“T-Thanks, Suguru,” Tetsurou sniffled into Daishou’s shoulder. “I still hate you, and I was ready to do it on my own, but…I’m relieved you’re going to help. Thank you… _so much_.”

“Yeah…thanks for letting me. And—And I still hate you, too, but…thanks for doing this. I mean…thanks for…you know—giving us this gift. I know it’s sudden and terrifying and scary, but I really am happy,” Suguru confessed. “…I’m the one who should be thanking _you_.”

“You sap,” Kuroo cried, pushing away to brush his tears off. “It’s weird when you’re nice to me. How will we ever function together?”

“I don’t even want to think about it right now,” Suguru sighed while handing the papers back. “I’ll see you later, I suppose. You still have my number, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Um…get home safely, okay? I know I just found out, but I will literally _kill_ anyone who hurts either of you.”

“That sounded straight out of a Kdrama,” Tetsurou joked, ignoring how his heart beat excitedly at the protective statement. “You get home safely, too… _daddy_.”

 

Suguru may have rolled his teary eyes at that and blushed deeply, but as Kuroo watched him walk away, he couldn’t help but give another relieved sigh—despite the embarrassing kink mention, Daishou’s cheeks were spread wide from the _brightest_ smile Tetsurou had ever seen from him before. It reminded him of volleyball, and if this new memory reminded him of some of the best times throughout his short life, he figured something amazing had just begun, however scary and unknown it was. Everything was about to change, but they were now on the same team, fighting for a unified win, the greater good of their child.

 

_We’re really going to do this. Together._


	2. "i could reach you faster"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fatherly love, momma's boys and headlocks

_Like a small piece of dust_

_That floats in the air_

_If the flying snow is me_

_I could reach you faster_

 

_Late September_

Almost four weeks ago, Suguru spent the night with Kuroo Tetsurou, his old volleyball enemy and rival. Yesterday, he was given the news that from the occasion a baby was created—Daishou was going to be a _father_. Not just any father, though; he was going to be the best father to ever exist, starting with beginning a professional relationship with the person who would be gifting this child to them, the omega studying for a journalist degree who liked to be bitten everywhere. Suguru saw their night and morning spent together in an entirely different light, now knowing what their actions caused and how differently their adolescent lives would be because of it; Daishou went home that night and, admittedly, bawled his eyes out while half-heartedly dancing around the living room, stubbing his toe in the process. The stigmas surrounding young, unsuspecting parents occurred to him, of course, but the snake stubbornly allowed himself a night of little sleep and many spontaneous dance sessions.

 _I’m going to be a DAD_ , Daishou thought excitedly, heart still racing even as he laid down to sleep near four in the morning. _I can’t fucking believe it. By springtime, by the end of my junior year, I’m going to be changing diapers and waking up at three a.m. and buying cute little baby shoes! …That’s slightly terrifying considering how much stress I’ll be under from school, but I’ll worry about that later. A baby—we’re going to have a baby!_

Suguru’s smile had faded into a content line as he stared at the ceiling quietly, finally getting his heart to stop racing for the first time since Kuroo told him. He seemed so cool about it…when Daishou texted him earlier in the evening, the omega told him he found out the day he went to the doctor last week, right after their texting conversation. At first, Suguru was offended that Kuroo brought the papers of proof, like he expected the alpha to not believe him or something, but given their previous hostile relationship in high school, it made more sense. Hopefully they had both matured by now…Suguru had tremendously, though Tetsurou’s cat-like smirk always triggered some kind of attitude within the other boy. Now that he thought about things in retrospect, Daishou wondered how the hell he and Kuroo would manage living together—from what little the chaebol knew about Tetsurou, he figured living with Bokuto Koutarou had encouraged some disgusting living habits. The alpha scolded himself for being so quick to skip over the ecstasy of becoming a first-time father and forced himself to sleep, dreaming of nothing but cute little baby shoes and a lifelong bond.

 

The following day’s drama, however, would put a damper on his happiness.

 

As Kuroo had promised his father a visit on Saturday, Suguru decided it was best that he tell his own family right away; since his father’s office was closer, Daishou decided to head there today after visiting Kuroo. He remembered which street the omega’s apartment was on and shot him a text before entering the complex, having gotten their room number from a friend of his who also lived in this building. Despite a lack of sleep, Suguru was functioning well, although nerves were beginning to set in as he slowly walked up several flights of stairs— _once I step inside, there’s no going back_ , the alpha realized, feet getting heavier and heavier. _From here on out…I’m going to have to…what’s the word…cooperate with Kuroo. I don’t suppose I can keep calling him my enemy. That’s probably not appropriate for future parents._

_But if I barely know anything about Kuroo, how am I supposed to co-parent with him?_

“Be nice, Suguru,” The chaebol reminded himself, finally stepping onto the correct floor. No wonder Kuroo was in such good shape, that staircase was _brutal_. “He’s a son of a bitch who stole your chance at Nationals, but you can’t hold that against him anymore. At least not to his face…”

The apartment seemed like it was quiet, but Daishou knew the crazy-haired volleyball freaks lived behind it, and so, knew better than to label its presence. He exhaled deeply before taking his hand out of the pocket of his trench coat and wrapping on the door a few times. The other side was strangely silent until booming footsteps not belonging to Kuroo (as Suguru remembered from volleyball) came bounding closer and closer, none other than the ace of Fukurodani ripping open the door without even looking through the peep hole. Daishou couldn’t hide his smirk upon seeing that same dorky, owlish hairstyle sitting atop Bokuto’s head.

“Well well well…” Koutarou greeted, crossing his slightly intimidating forearms across his even more intimidating chest. “If it isn’t Nohebi’s most wanted snake, Suguru Daishou.”

“Bokuto—nice to see you haven’t changed a bit,” Suguru smiled sickly. “I’d love to chat and catch-up with you, but I’m here for Kuroo.”

“Sorry, buddy, but he’s at work right now.”

“Work?”

“Yeah. _Work_.” Bokuto repeated. “You know, that thing called a job—”

“I know what it is, dumbass,” Daishou spat in irritation.

“Could’ve fooled me! Hey, I hear you have a _sportscar_ —is that true, or was Kuroo just pulling my leg?”

“Would you just tell me where he works, please?”

Koutarou didn’t reply for a second, scanning his suddenly curious eyes over Suguru’s appearance; he hated the little snake almost as much as Tetsurou did in their high school days, but there was something… _different_ about the alpha, now. He wouldn’t go so far as to call it change, but despite the prick’s fancy outfit that probably cost more than Bokuto’s tuition, Suguru’s arrogance didn’t appear to derive from his family’s wealth. He had always walked with a chip on his shoulder, even more so during volleyball matches, and while he had every right to flaunt his status, Koutarou was disappointed to notice that Daishou really didn’t care all that much about the neighbors peeping at him through their doors. He wasn’t nearly as hot as Akaashi, but Kuroo’s roommate suddenly understood why the omega took a chance and slept with the snake.

“Are you gunna stand there and ogle me all day, or can I go now?”

“Such rich boy attitude!” Bokuto replied with a grin. “He works at the café right next to the college. Can’t miss it.”

“Thank you. Was that so hard to answer, simpleton?”

Suguru went to turn, mentally preparing himself for the long-ass staircase again, but his elbow was suddenly snatched by a strong wing spiker’s hand; he turned his head in confusion, met by a startling pair of suddenly stern, threatening golden owl eyes staring directly at him. Bokuto’s expression turned serious, his voice lowering as he addressed the bastard who had gotten his best friend pregnant, talking low and with dark intent.

“Let me make something clear, _Suguru_ ,” The alpha addressed, protective scent shocking Daishou, riling-up his own instincts. “I’m glad you agreed to stick around and help Kuroo with the baby, but I want you to know that if I even _suspect_ you of treating him and your child with disrespect, I’m going to make sure you’ll never be able to get anyone pregnant ever again.”

“Bold of you to assume I won’t do the same if I suspect you of turning Kuroo against me.” Suguru growled back, albeit weakly.

“Hey, I’m doing the threatening, here!” Bokuto whined, personality returning for a second. “But seriously, Suguru—I’m not kidding. Don’t fuck around with Kuroo or start leading him on only to push him away once you’ve gotten what you wanted. He’s my best friend in the entire world, so don’t think you can get away with playing games and stomping all over his feelings.”

“Have you ever even _hit_ anyone before?”

“No,” He answered honestly, lips turning into a smile almost as dark as Daishou’s own. “But I’d happily use my first one on you, _rich boy_.”

Despite Suguru’s snotty comebacks, the tightening grip on his elbow was painful enough where he fully believed Bokuto’s threats. Honestly, he was most surprised at how good of friends Kuroo and the owl were…he knew they were buddies back in high school, but the snake had no idea they were this close. Envy burned in his chest, but the alpha managed to push it away long enough to pry his arm from Koutarou’s grip, shooting him a dark scowl.

“No need for threats, owl-chan,” He teased, though his tone was angry. “I’m not as much of a player as you think I am. Besides…Kuroo’s smart enough to know when someone’s toying with him. He wouldn’t have allowed me to be in the baby’s life if he thought I was some kind of womanizing asshole.”

“Well…you _are_ an asshole, Suguru,” Bokuto snickered. “I guess you’re just a different kind of asshole than you were in high school.”

“…Whatever.”

“So anyway, if you ever think about walking out on Kuroo, just remember our little discussion, mk?”

Just like that, the larger alpha slapped Daishou’s back and smiled, like they were new best friends or some shit.

“I guess we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other, huh?! Kuroo’s gunna name me the _godfather_ of your kid!”

“That is absolutely out of the question,” Suguru hissed, eyes widening. “No child of mine is going to be left in the hands of some owl-cosplaying maniac.”

“What?! You can’t _ban_ me from being godfather, Kuroo already said it was okay!” Bokuto wailed defensively.

“I’m going to discuss it with him right now, so if you’ll excuse me.”

“Alright, I’ll see you around, then!” Koutarou called after Daishou as he hurried away. “I expect to get a ride in that car soon, too!!!”

“Don’t hold your breath, scum!”

Suguru could still hear Bokuto laughing even two floors down; he rolled his eyes a dozen times while recalling their conversation by the time he made it to the café near the college. At the very least, Koutarou’s loyalty to Kuroo gave Daishou some piece of mind—if something ever happened where he and the omega found themselves unable to be with their baby, Bokuto seemed more than willing to jump in and help. Maybe he wouldn’t be _such_ a terrible godfather…but that still didn’t mean Suguru was on board. They had more important things to discuss right now.

The café was one Daishou had never been to before, despite his love of caffeine and expressos, and apparently “his type” didn’t buy from here often, because every single pair of eyes drifted the alpha’s way when he stepped inside the shop. He ignored their gazes and scanned over the scene, finding Kuroo easily amongst the neat-haired waiters busying themselves behind the counter; a few of them spotted Suguru, cheeks immediately turning red and causing them to rush away somewhere, leaving only Kuroo and another worker at the front. Daishou figured he might as well order some coffee while he was here, approaching the counter quietly and leaning his elbows on it until the other waiter nudged Tetsurou. He turned around quickly, greeting without knowing who he was speaking to.

“What can I ge—” Kuroo stopped upon recognizing his baby daddy, voice changing into a less enthusiastic tone. “…Oh. Hey, Suguru. What’s up?”

“Don’t sound so happy to see me, kitty-chan.” Suguru snorted. “Do you have break anytime soon? I want to talk quick before I go see my dad.”

“I guess I could use a break.”

“First, can you make me a mocha café au lait with demerara sugar, please?”

“Brat,” Kuroo mumbled, typing something into the register. “Why don’t you get a fancy-ass donut while you’re at it, too?”

“Alright,” Suguru shrugged while glancing down through the bakery window. “Give me that chocolate one with crème filling, please.”

This comment irritated Kuroo even further, much to the alpha’s joy, and he hid his smirk while listening to the omega grumble under his breath, adding the total up while readying a plate for the donut.

“Your order will be ready in a moment. I’ll clock out and we can talk—that’ll be 850 yen.”

“Are you this charming with all your customers?” Suguru grinned, handing Kuroo a paper bill.

“No. Usually I walk around in an expensive ass coat and tell the waiters to keep their tips. Wipe that stupid grin off your face, would ya?” Tetsurou glared.

“Fine, fine; I’ll be over here.”

“Yeah.”

Suguru strolled towards an empty table in the corner, sitting where their conversation wouldn’t be heard by any other eavesdropper; after a few minutes Kuroo arrived with the donut and coffee cup, slipping his apron off before sitting across from the alpha quietly.

“You’ve got fifteen-minutes,” He said. “Start talking.”

“How long have you been working here?” Daishou asked, sipping a bit of his coffee. It was delicious—he made a note to have Kuroo make him coffee more often.

“Since my freshman year…is this some kind of couple’s game?” Kuroo asked, head tilting to the side. “That’s so _cute_ , Suguru, you’re trying to get to know me like that one night!”

“S-Shut up,” The other boy stuttered. “I was just curious. How long of shifts do you have?”

“Is this really relevant? Don’t you wanna ask more about my emotional needs?”

“It’s relevant because I need to know if you’re going to overwork yourself,” Suguru explained. “Minimal stress is normal in any pregnancy, but in heavy amount—”

“Shhh!!!” Kuroo hissed, throwing a hand over Daishou’s mouth. “Keep your voice low! My boss doesn’t know about…the _baby_ yet.”

“Mphew shh ell em!”

“ _What_?”

Daishou pried the hand off his mouth to glare over the table at Kuroo. He was almost cute when he got all riled-up.

“You should _tell_ them.”

“Why? I won’t show for while; may as well not worry them until then.”

“You’re just as impossible as I remember,” Suguru huffed in annoyance. “If you don’t want to mention… _you know what_ , then you pretty much just wasted your break, because that’s all I wanted to talk about.”

The black-haired student watched Daishou for a moment, observing how his lips fit perfectly against the glass cup, peeking open to allow the dark substance to pour inside his mouth. Kuroo understood how those lips worked, both for smack-talking, ass kissing (metaphorically speaking) and handling business endeavors; Suguru always meant exactly what he said, never regretting or stopping himself from speaking his mind, which could get him into trouble, but he seemed to have developed better quick-thinking skills from his business classes. In high school, Nohebi’s captain had been capable of shielding his true demonic personality by filtering out good will through sick little smiles and fake apologies, blaming everything on himself and using the weakness of mankind to his advantage. Kuroo hated businessmen for that specific reason, although he still really wanted to hear Suguru speak in one of those sexy languages he claimed to know…

“How are you?”

The chaebol peered up with that same snakeish scowl, eyebrows furrowed suspiciously.

“What?”

“How are you, Suguru-chan?” Tetsurou repeated patiently. “Be honest. I want to know how you are at this very second.”

Daishou stared for a moment, genuinely puzzled before he seemed to realize what Kuroo was trying to do. He straightened up a bit, running his long, slender fingers across the rim of his coffee cup.

“I’m really great,” He admitted, voice softening. “I didn’t slip a wink last night…I couldn’t really sleep knowing I’m going to be a _father_ by the time spring comes.”

“I know right? Totally crazy,” Kuroo nodded eagerly. “And I’m going to have to give _birth_ —if I knew better I would say it’s mathematically impossible for another human to exit the butt of another. Can you imagine how _badly_ that’s going to hurt?!”

“Yeah…omegas always have it a lot rougher than alphas; but it’ll be okay. Probably.”

“Well,” Tetsurou smirked. “If I can survive you ramming your stick up my ass without any prep, I think I can handle this.”

“You won’t talk about a baby in public, but you’ll talk about _that_? You’re such a perv.”

Suguru was taken aback by the omega’s loud laughter. He really wasn’t used to making people laugh—business degrees don’t exactly create the funniest of individuals, but here Kuroo was, hiding giggles behind his hand and forcing a smile out of the alpha, who suddenly remembered all the little marks and old acne scars scattered across Tetsurou’s elfish face.

“Out of the two of us, I really don’t think _I_ can be classified as the pervert,” The waiter accused. “Oh _Kuroo_ , _Kuroo_ , you’re so _hot_! More, more!” He mimicked dramatically.

“Oh _Dai-shou_ ,” The chaebol whined back, turning his voice all creepy. “How many languages do you speak? Where do you like to be _bitten_?”

“Hey, that was a pretty sexy line, you gotta admit.” Tetsurou grinned proudly.

“Pf. I’ve heard better,” Suguru huffed, drinking the last of his coffee. “Maybe your game wouldn’t have suffered if you hadn’t drunk so much.”

“I bet I didn’t drink as much as you! I was just having a rough night, that’s all…depressive episodes turn me into a sex machine.”

“So that’s why we slept together, huh?” The cinnamon-haired boy said thoughtfully, locking eyes with Kuroo. “…Alcohol and desperation.”

The students were silent for a moment, minds searching for the same answer as they watched the other; Tetsurou glanced away after a second, shrugging quietly.

“Or,” He suggested gently. “…Running into each other that night was fate.”

“Fate,” Suguru repeated, fidgeting with his sleeve.

“Yeah. Maybe our baby will grow-up to be the next Goblin or something, so fate threw us together to make sure we had unprotected sex!”

“You and that stupid Korean show…”

“Say ‘stupid Korean show’ one more time and I walk out of here forever.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

“My break’s almost up,” Kuroo said, nodding at the clock on the wall. “I think this was time well spent—we’ll get to know each other in no time, Suguru-kun.”

“Let’s hope so,” Daishou sighed while standing up from his chair. “I’d like us to move in together as soon as possible, so we can…grow together, or whatever…are you okay with that?”

“Guess I have to be. I’m gunna miss Bokuto, though, but I suppose he’ll be able to move in with Akaashi and Kiyoko, then; when do you want to start looking for a place?”

“You’re agreeing just like that?” Suguru cocked an eyebrow. “Not even gunna put up a fight? I thought you still hated me.”

“Of course I still hate you,” The omega grinned, standing up as well. “But remember what else I said? We have to start acting like mature adults. This is me being mature; under normal circumstances I’d call you a crazy snake who just wants to _slither-in_ my bed because you can’t get enough of my body.”

“You did _not_ just use Slytherin as a pun.”

“I did, actually, and I’m proud you caught the reference. Maybe we can be friends after all, Suguru!”

 _This guy_ , Daishou sighed internally, giving Kuroo a half-hearted glare. _Is such a child. That will either make him a great parent or a terrible one._

“Let me know when you have class and we’ll work around it,” Suguru said, slipping his hands in his pockets. “I have to go talk to my dad, now, but start thinking about apartments, okay?”

“Sure. Um…do we have to, like…hug it out every time we part ways, or?”

Suguru opened his mouth, probably to spit an insult, but stopped himself the last minute, instead settling with an awkward shrug. He may be a businessman, but that only made him talented at casual physical contact like handshakes and shoulder pats; hugs were a bit outside his comfort zone.

“If…If you _want_ …”

“We’re kind of in public, so…it’ll be even more awkward than usual,” Kuroo mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. “Did you drive here?”

“Yeah.”

“You’d think everyone would be crowded around that baby,” The omega said, leaning across the table to peer outside, where Suguru’s car was parked right in front. Something in a big box stuffed in the narrow back seat caught his eye; the letters were printed large enough where he could faintly read… “Is that—you—you already bought a _crib_ , Suguru?”

“Ah—I…yeah. So?”

The café’s peaceful quiet was shattered by Kuroo’s hyena laugh, booming off every wall and corner as everyone looked over in surprise, blush breaking out over Suguru’s cheeks. He was frozen in the midst of his embarrassment, however, struck by the way Kuroo was laughing so hard tears nearly fell from his hazel eyes; _the idiot had really went out and purchased a crib the day after he found out he was going to be a father?!_ Tetsurou thought, abs beginning to ache. _Man, he’s already so whipped for this kid! Looks like I’m going to have to be the stern parent in the relationship._

“Jeez, Daishou-chan, you sure are something else!” The omega giggled as Suguru continued to stand there gaping. “Oh boy…I needed a good laugh. Thanks for being such a _dork_!”

“I—I’m not—I’m just thinking ahead, Kuroo!” Suguru stumbled, cheeks still burning. “I’m being a good parent!”

“Sure, sure…well, I gotta get back to work. Don’t forget your fancy donut, snake boy.”

“I bought it for you,” Daishou mumbled while flipping his collar up. “Enjoy your treat, kitty cat. Text me when you get off work.”

“Oh,” Tetsurou said stupidly, quickly glancing between the donut and Suguru. “Okay. Thanks, I guess…and good luck with your dad.”

“Don’t need luck when I have charm, Tetsurou-chan. Oh—and one more thing,” The snake stopped before getting to the front door. His green eyes were more narrowed as he recalled Bokuto’s comment from earlier. “…Why is your roommate under the impression that _he’s_ going to be one of the godparents?”

“You’re part of a _very_ wild, opinionated family now, Suguru,” Kuroo grinned.

“Great…”

Daishou sighed one final time before exiting the café, leaving the other customers no choice but to direct their attention to the second hottest person standing there; Kuroo watched his ex-enemy hop into his car and drive away, only letting a smile show when he had directed his attention to the donut sitting at their lonely table.

“Bought it for me, my ass…”

The omega shrugged to himself before snatching the donut and heading back to work, silently wondering if Suguru really only needed charm when telling his father about their current situation.

 

As it turns out, Daishou really should have accepted that luck.

 

The heir to Japan’s largest accounting firm pulled up to the private parking area, taking a deep, controlled breath before getting out and slowly making his way towards a tall, narrow building; Suguru had been inside hundreds of times, the most fond memories coming from his childhood, when he thought accounting was the coolest thing in the world and begged his father to take him to work whenever the opportunity arose. Daishou still thought the building was awesome, but in a different, more professional kind of way, now—one day, if Suguru wished, he would be his father’s replacement and become the new owner, the boss, the executive. That day might even come sooner than Suguru realized, what with him already into his junior year of college and his father readying a job shadowing position for him…Daishou pushed these thoughts away for now, trying to focus on how the hell he would explain the current situation without making himself sound like the idiot he really was. Yes, he was thankful for his idiocrasy, as it gave him a child, but he had a feeling his dad would handle the conversation like one of business.

“Is my Dad in today?” Daishou asked the receptionist.

“Yes, he’s in his office. Go on up.”

“Thank you.”

Suguru mentally prepared himself during the long elevator ride up to the highest point of the building; even now, the city of Tokyo seen through the glass walls seemed so small and insignificant compared to the idea of Daishou and Kuroo having a _child_ by springtime. Usually, the alpha looked at this view with powerful intentions, hoping for everyone within the near radius to know who this building belonged to, who was responsible for its continued success—now, however, Suguru couldn’t help but feel on display, like Tokyo had their finger pointed at him, calling the business major out for becoming a new parent, staring at him with judging gazes. _Relax, Daishou_ , he told himself, closing his eyes to avoid looking at the grey skies above. _It’s just your dad you’re talking to…it’s not like this is a business meeting or something. Just you and him, one on one. It’ll be fine. Probably. I just hope he’s in a good mood…_

The elevator ride finally ended after an eternity of dreading thoughts; Suguru swallowed his fear down one final time before stepping out, walking through an empty lounging room and knocking on the office door that read _Daisuke Suguru,_ _C.E.O_. There was a holler for him to enter, so Daishou snuck inside and quietly shut the door behind him.

Daisuke Suguru wasn’t a large businessman like stereotypical American brokers, but instead stood a few inches taller than his son, a couple pounds heavier with dark stubble covering his chin and jaw. His hair was a darker brown, speckled with grey here and there, neatly combed to the side much like Daishou’s; many of the middle-aged omegas who worked alongside their boss had crushes on him, though they knew those feelings were in vain, because Daisuke was very happily married to Suguru’s mother, Sora. He grew-up with both the man who invented Pokémon and the man who programmed _Nintendo_. Their generation had almost single-handedly made a culture out of Tokyo, beginning with small but loyal accounting firms that soon led to business stretching across Japan—hopefully, with Daishou’s ideas once he graduated college, their international business would boom as well, ensuring their customer’s numbers and their worker’s income. Daisuke wasn’t a sly, underhanded businessman by far, but his only child knew certain things silently set him off, and even though as a C.E.O he knew when to hold his tongue, Daishou suddenly had a bad feeling about their future conversation.

“Daishou!” Suguru Sr. greeted from his desk, eyes brightening as he quickly stood up.

“Hey Dad.”

“What brings you up here?!” Daisuke grinned, giving his son a tight hug.

“Just thought I’d pop in and say hello.” _By the way, I got an omega pregnant and now we’re going to live together!_

“Ah, you’re a good son, visiting your old dad while you’re off having fun at university…come! Sit! I’m just finishing up some paperwork. How are you? Classes treating you okay?”

“Yeah, they’re fine,” Suguru nodded, hesitantly sitting down in one of the chairs in front of his father’s desk.

“I’ll finish up here and then we can order some lunch, if you want.”

“Sure.”

 _Here’s my chance_ , Daishou thought anxiously, watching as his father hurriedly signed a few papers. _I better tell him before we order lunch…or maybe I should wait until we’re done eating, then he’ll be in a good mood…why am I so scared, anyway? It’s not like he’ll disown me—I’m the only heir! And he loves me or some shit, but mostly he can’t disown me because no one else knows the in’s and out’s of the company like we Suguru’s do. I’m safe._

_Right?_

“Um…Dad?” Suguru began slowly, rubbing his hands together. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Shoot.” Daisuke said without looking up, filtering through the papers.

“Something…serious.”

The C.E.O looked up, pausing his actions to stare at his son expectantly, light green eyes turning attentive. Daishou wondered how many people got caught under that spell on a daily basis, captured by the interest gleaming through that faded color the same way Suguru was captured by Kuroo’s creepy hazel cat eyes. The chaebol glanced down for a moment, gathering his words and trying to remember what business skills he learned in class his freshmen year.

“Well…this… _guy_ I’ve been seeing, an omega…we, um…”

_Spit it out, spit it out!_

“He’s pregnant,” Daishou exhaled quickly. “With my child.”

The term “pregnant silence” had never been so accurate as the Suguru’s sat there across from each other. It was as if a business meeting had gone terribly wrong, shocking everyone into stunned, terrible silence after discovering they would lose over five-million dollars in a new deal or something. Daisuke didn’t take his eyes off his son, didn’t blink, didn’t even open his mouth—an entire minute passed before the papers and pen were laid down quietly, the executive leaning back in his chair, expression unreadable. Suguru knew he had some kind of reaction, however, because his short eyebrows had turned ever so slightly into a stern position, prompting Daishou to scramble in an attempt to admit his own fault.

“I—I know you’re probably ashamed and disappointed and _super_ pissed off, Dad, but I was just going to ask if you would, you know…back us up a little,” The younger alpha requested. “I mean, despite the circumstances, this is your future grandchild we’re talking about, and I ju—”

Daisuke’s right hand went up, immediately cutting his son off. He looked mad, now, sitting forward as the pieces fell together inside his mind.

“Daishou,” He addressed slowly, darkening eyes shooting back up to stare at his son. “I know you’ve coasted off my wealth and success for the past twenty-one years, but for _goodness sake_ —don’t you even have the slightest desire to make your _own_ life?”

If there was one thing Suguru needed to work on as a businessman, it was his temper. As seen in high school volleyball, if certain people (Kuroo) figured out how to push his buttons (Kuroo), Daishou’s anger could be triggered in an instant, and he had yet to master the art of hiding his real emotions. In the presence of his father, whom he was very alike with the exception of the temper, Suguru took that jab very personally and leapt out of the chair immediately. Two alpha scents filled the room, clashing against each other violently as Daishou spat back.

“I’m not asking you for _money_ , Dad.”

“What else would you be asking for? You haven’t asked me for anything different over the past ten-years, Daishou.” The C.E.O huffed, eyes narrowing as his disappointment rose, taking note of Suguru’s scent blasting throughout the entire office.

“I’m asking you to back us up in _case_ we get low on cash! That’s all!” Daishou shouted back.

“And how much of your savings did _you_ make, Dai? Who put all that money in your account, hoping it would inspire you enough to go out and earn y—”

Suguru had _never_ interrupted his father before, holding too much respect for his patient ways, but there was a first time for everything.

“Are you going to give me your blessing or just sit there and put me down?” The college student hissed.

Daisuke stood from his desk, too stressed for sitting and began slowly pacing back and forth, torn between bittersweet happiness and hurt. Of all the things his son could ask for, love, emotional support, no-fee babysitting…of all the things, he asked for _money_ first? The executive knew he inavertedly spoiled his son growing-up, but had he really created such a monster?

“I didn’t know you thought so lowly of your only child. If you want your precious money back you can have it,” His son continued angrily, fists tight at his sides. “I just thought you might want your son’s child to have a secure future, God forbid should something happen to the parents.”

“Parents…you two aren’t even a couple like you said, are you, Daishou?” Suguru Sr. quickly concluded, stopping to look at his son again. “I bet you never even went on a date with him. You were probably drunk, right?”

Judging on Daishou’s reddening cheeks, he was right.

“Ahh……I see. I see.” Daisuke nodded in understanding. “So… _basically_ , what you want me to do is not back you two up, but to pay off this omega to keep their mouth shut when they find out about your wealthy background? Are you so naïve to think that you will be mature enough to raise a child while you’re still in _school_ , Daishou? Do you honestly expect a person you hardly know to _not_ sue you for custody and go after everything you have?”

A drastic change in Daishou’s scent nearly stole the breath out of his father’s lungs; the waves held anger before, but this new rush of air was beyond that. It was white-hot _rage_ pouring out, the alpha never feeling so offended for Kuroo, the passionate journalist and ex-volleyball captain who was now carrying his child. Daisuke was shocked by the intimidating, protective growl that exited his son’s curling lips.

 

“Do _not_ talk about the mother of my child like that.”

 

Suguru Sr. could only stare at his son without saying a single word, not understanding how he could become so defensive for someone he barely knew; the conversation was quickly coming to a dramatic close, Daishou’s blazing snake eyes glaring a bitter whole through his father’s head as he stepped around the chairs, heading for the exit.

“I came here for your blessing, but it looks like I came out with even less than that,” The chaebol heir spat, voice cracking. “Kuroo and I are doing this with or without your precious wealth. Sorry for wasting so much of your time, Suguru-sama. Goodbye.”

“Daishou,” His father replied sadly, watching Suguru stomp towards the office exit. “Don’t leave,” _You’re being childish_. “You know where I’m coming from, you don’t hav—”

Too late. Daishou slammed the door behind him, leaving the C.E.O. alone with his paperwork and dejected heart, city of Tokyo watching behind him.

 

The receptionist hid behind her computer when Suguru exited the elevator, furious scent infecting the lobby as he stormed past her without a single word, getting into his car and starting the engine with fingers so tense they had turned white. The drive to Nohebi was fifteen-minutes. Sometime between those fifteen-minutes, Suguru didn’t know how or when, he had begun crying angry and frustrated tears, running down his cheeks in a burning fashion; you would think the reveal of Kuroo’s pregnancy would bring nothing but happiness for the young fathers, but what the alpha felt now was nothing remotely close to that. He _never_ fought with his father before, never fought with _either_ of his parents before, and yet today, when Daisuke was going through the situation out-loud, Suguru couldn’t help but lose his temper with the mention of his own stupidity and recklessness. Was this parental stress, or was Daishou just a defensive mess who still couldn’t come to grips with his own mistakes? It was high school volleyball all over again.

It was difficult driving while bawling his eyes out, but the alpha managed somehow, pulling into the driveway of his parent’s large ancient Japanese-style house, where his mother was probably baking or making some advanced craft; _get a fucking grip, Suguru,_ he mentally hissed at himself, trying to stop the tears from falling as he sat in the driver’s seat. _Quit crying like a baby! You’re twenty-one years old!!!_

The tears fell even more after that, and Suguru finally threw his pride away and got out of the car, hurrying inside before any of the neighbors saw him acting crazy. _He’s wrong_ , Daishou thought, anger rising when he dropped the car keys, in too much of a hurry. _Kuroo would never sue me for custody. He would never expose our child just to get publicity. Cats don’t do that. Kuroo wouldn’t do that. No way._

Suguru’s hands weren’t working now, repeatedly dropping the keys until he plopped down with them, letting the object fall against the floor with a _clunk_. Daishou let his arms go limp, leaning over his bent knees as more tears flowed out like raging rivers. Why was this happening? Instead of celebrating the gift of life, rejoicing over the precious miracle Kuroo and he created, Suguru was bawling in the entryway of his parent’s house? All because…what? His father refused to let him have a moment of joy, wanting Daishou to live-up to the family reputation? Did he want his son to marry Kuroo as a way of keeping him quiet or something?

“ _Shit_.”

“Daishou?” A quiet voice carried through the hall. “Is that you?”

“Y-eah,” The college student croaked. He roughly wiped at his reddening eyes, pulling himself up and taking his coat off to make it seem like everything was normal. “It’s just me, Mom…”

“I’m in the kitchen—are you hungry?”

Suguru knew he was screwed the minute he dragged himself into the kitchen. No way could he brush this off as nothing, not when his mother was Sora Suguru, the over-attentive, soft-spoken knitter of the year every year; still, he gave a pathetic attempt at pulling the pieces back together, daring so much to look up instead of down even when he was sniffling like a snot-nosed kid. Sora hardly needed to turn away from the counter, already sensing a different take on her child’s scent from the moment he entered their home. She spun around with her tall, thin frame and medium length chestnut-colored hair, narrow but somehow soft brown eyes locking on Daishou immediately; she paused for a short, cautious moment before slowly closing the gap between them, looking at him with fearful curiosity.

“Daishou…what’s wrong, dear? Are you okay?” Sora asked gently.

All it took was one sympathetic look to make Daishou start crying again.

“No,” He shook his head quickly, stepping away so he could pace, just like his father had not half-an-hour earlier. Why couldn’t he stop _crying_? “No I-I’m _not_ okay. Dad—he—I told—”

Sora hushed him, grabbing her son’s hands to stop his pacing so he could breathe and slow his sniffles down enough where talking would be easier. Suguru’s mom was good at calming people down. She was the only person Daishou would let near him when Nohebi lost to Nekoma, losing his last chance for nationals, playing in his last volleyball game ever…she did the same thing she always did when her only child was upset, warm, cracked hands holding onto his wrists as he hiccupped violently, unable to get a grip on himself. Sora waited patiently, no questions asked until a few minutes had passed, Daishou only able to cut the tears off when he let his head fall onto his mother’s shoulder, face hiding behind a bundle of her hair; maybe these were the rough emotions the alpha accidentally kept inside when Kuroo told him about the pregnancy. Maybe he should have done what his old enemy did and wait a few days for the news to sink-in before going to blab to his parents…

“Daishou,” Sora addressed quietly, taking Suguru’s face in her hands and pulling him away for a second. “Tell me what happened.”

The alpha felt a little more stable after his mother wiped away his tears, just like she had when he was a child; he still _was_ a child, in many ways, and the unspoken feeling of security helped return his voice. While Suguru loved his parents equally, he had always been a momma’s boy at heart.

“I…well, firstly, Mom, I—”

Daishou almost laughed at himself for being so pathetic, worrying Sora as she watched him continue to shake his head.

“You’re starting to scare me a little, Dai…” She commented fearfully. “Is it…is it something bad? Are you sick? Hurt?”

“No…I’m f-fine. I’m…better than fine, actually,” Daishou sucked in a trembling breath, unconsciously seeking out his mother’s comforting scent. “I guess I should tell you—there’s this omega I…was seeing, in August, a-and…he’s pregnant.”

Sora’s narrowed eyes widened considerably, though they didn’t flare up with anger or disappointment; mostly, it was surprise. Suguru always had a few friends during his school days, but after the disaster with Mika, Sora figured she would be waiting a long time for grandchildren. _Maybe I underestimated his social skills…then again, maybe not._

“Oh _my_! Daishou, that’s—that’s—”

“Stupid and irresponsible, I know.” He huffed, rolling his eyes at himself. “Dad already chewed me out.”

“Oh…I see.” Sora hummed in understanding. “But…that’s _great_ news, Daishou!”

“You can chew me out, too, Mom; it’ll make me feel a lot guiltier coming from you.”

Suguru sighed at himself, pulling away to sit down at the island table and grab at his hair strands with frustration; his mother followed quickly, grabbing at his wrists again to ground both of them.

“I’m not going to chew you out, Dai,” She almost chuckled, brushing a lock of his hair off his forehead. “I could never be upset with you for making me a grandmother!”

Her son almost smiled at that, scent gradually falling back to its original take—there were only a few things Daishou was easily upset over. The first was volleyball, as his mother learned the hard way, the second was being scolded by his father, and the third was admitting he was in the wrong. Two of those three must have been the case today, she guessed, since Suguru only played volleyball when catching-up with his old teammates anymore. Daisuke never really showed his anger in a violent or explosive type of way like many other alphas, but Sora could see how such surprising news might trigger Daisuke into accidentally professing his disappointment. The only person capable of doing that was his own son.

“So…” She began slowly, carefully. “Your father…was upset because of what specific detail?”

“I told him about Kuroo and the baby, a-and I asked if you and he would be willing to back us up if something were to happen and he _freaked_ out on me. I mean, I know he was right about a lot of the stuff, but _jeez_ —couldn’t he at least be _happy_ for me, even for one second?” Daishou wondered desperately, eyes hinting at another spring of tears when he glanced over at his mother for answers. “I could’ve lived with him throwing my irresponsibility in my face or even telling me I would be crossed off his will or something, but when he suggested that Kuroo will go after my— _his_ money, I just—I just got _so mad_ , and I might not get along with Kuroo as well as people having a baby together should, but I wasn’t just going to stand there and take it, you know?!”

The omega nodded in understanding on both parts, already sensing trouble in the near future; while Daisuke wasn’t below immediately apologizing, Daishou was more stubborn, more prone to holding grudges and refusing to admit his own mistakes. He could be over-dramatic at times, and Sora worried that this argument might turn into a month of her son giving her husband the cold shoulder, and if Daishou’s omega friend would be having a child within the next eight-months, there was no time to be refusing parental guidance, especially for young college kids like Suguru.

“It’ll work itself out, Dai-chan,” She promised honestly, hugging her son’s arm snugly. “Don’t worry so much right now…live in this happy moment before it’s gone forever. Okay?”

Suguru nodded quickly, not worked-up enough anymore to refuse his mother’s optimism. His blood wasn’t boiling very high, cooled down from the soothing feel of Sora’s scent flooding the kitchen; in an effort to obey her command, Daishou cleared his throat of any remaining tears and sat-up straighter, a very dad-like thought coming to mind.

“Hey Mom?”

“Hm?”

“You’ll teach me all about that childhood scrap booking stuff, won’t you?”

“I’ll go get the boxes,” Sora answered immediately, a silent wave of excitement flowing through her veins as she hurriedly stood up. “We’ll start with the diary I kept the year I was pregnant with you!”

“Ah…okay…that sounds—pretty cool…”

“Did you write the night you and the omega… _conceived_ into a journal?”

“I—wha—did _you_?” Suguru asked with bulging eyes.

“Of course! I’ll bring that down, too!”

“Please, Mom, _please_ don’t bring it down…”

~~~-~~~

Things went very differently with Mori Kuroo than they did with Daisuke Suguru.

 

On Saturday morning, Tetsurou left for Nekoma near ten a.m. on the public bus, much to Suguru’s concern (the journalist spent ten-minutes explaining how, despite what rich people theorized to justify their sports car buys, riding the bus wasn’t much of an emotionally scarring experience). He promised to text when he got there and when he was leaving Monday morning, relieved to be rid of Suguru’s anxious questions when the quiet of the lonely bus greeted him. The alpha mentioned telling his parents about the baby, but since he hadn’t given any updates, Tetsurou figured that couldn’t mean anything good and decided to wait until he saw his own father’s reaction before bringing the subject around again. Kuroo arrived at the Nekoma bus station after an hour-and-a-half drive to find his dad already waiting for him, having walked down the street from their house to meet his son. The ride had been bumpy, full of twists and turns that made Tetsurou nauseated, but he managed to keep himself upright after being doused with happy energy upon seeing Mori standing on the sidewalk waiting for him. He looked the same as always, but the red plaid and white t-shirt were clean, free of any grease stains or wrinkles; Kuroo was an even mix of his mother and father look-wise, getting the narrow jaw, broad shoulders and black hair from Mori while the messy strands, long legs, lazy eyelids and crooked smile were from his deceased mother. Mori still looked as handsome as ever (or so the housewives down the street told Kuroo often), jet-black hair losing a bit of its pure color due to age while his greying stubble made the alpha seem older than he was—honestly, he should have looked older, given the stress he was under when he and his young son had to sit back and watch Kimmi Kuroo succumb to a blood disease when her only child was just six-years-old, her husband only in his mid-thirties. The battle felt like an eternity and a split-second at the same time, but soon enough, Mori found himself the lone parent in the Kuroo household. While the boys were equally shattered over this loss, there was still a life to be lived, and the inseparable pair did their very best to make each other happy over the years.

_I really hope I do as good a job with my kid as Dad did with me._

Tetsurou almost ran off the bus with excitement, but in a half-hearted effort to act more mature like a parent or some shit, he slowly walked down the aisle and calmly stepped down onto the sidewalk, where the act almost immediately fell through. Kuroo couldn’t just _not_ smile when his dad had such a happy grin on his lips.

“Tetsurou!!!”

“Hey Dad,” The omega beamed, immediately finding himself wrapped in a huge, welcoming hug. “Great to see you.”

“Haha! Great to see _you_!” Mori laughed cheerfully, still squeezing his son like there was no tomorrow. “You look great! Have you been working out more often?”

“I could ask the same about you.”

Mori laughed again, ruffling up his son’s hair before throwing an arm around him and marching down the sidewalk, talking excitedly all the while. Kuroo really missed home, especially now knowing he was to provide a similar, equally beautifully house for his own child.

“How’s class been treatin’ ya?” His father questioned when they made it to Kuroo’s childhood home, a small but cozy peach house nestled between two others. “You mentioned some papers earlier back; did you finish them on time?”

“Don’t I always, Dad?”

“Still as confident as ever, I see; come on—I’m hungry for breakfast burritos! You remembered to get some extra green peppers in mine, right?”

“Of course I remembered,” Tetsurou smiled, handing Mori the bag of breakfast food as they entered the kitchen. “Do you have such little faith in me?”

The older alpha grinned like a kid in a candy store while pulling the food out and setting it onto the table; he shot Kuroo a softer look, one that triggered a disgusting amount of guilt within Tetsurou as the minutes ticked by, marking more and more moments where Mori didn’t know about his son’s pregnancy. How disappointed would he be? Mori never showed angry emotions, and he _definitely_ hadn’t ever used them on his only child, so Kuroo wasn’t sure what to expect, and nothing scared him more than not knowing.

“Nah,” He answered while unwrapping his burrito. “In fact, some days you’re the only person I have faith in, Tetsurou.”

 _Why, Dad—why are you such a nice person?_ Kuroo wondered, smile fading a bit.

“Did you already eat yours, bud? There’s only one in here.”

“Wasn’t hungry.” _Actually, the smell of peppers made me want to vomit earlier._ “So—what’s been going on around here, Dad? Any new lady friends I should know about?”

“Pf! Still cracking jokes, are you? Speaking of friends, how’s Bokuto doing?”

“As quirky as ever. Just goes to class and runs around with his boyfriend all the time.” Tetsurou shrugged.

“Boyfriend? Bokuto snagged himself a boyfriend?” Mori asked over his bite in surprise.

“Yeah, a nice one, too.”

“How’d he manage that?”

“I…really don’t know,” Kuroo chuckled, reflecting on when he first met Akaashi. “Bokuto told me he got lost in the mall and happened to find an intelligent six-year-old girl who led him to the right store—and to Akaashi.”

“Ohhhh…so it was a _kid_ who led Bokuto to the love of his life,” Mori nodded in understanding, unintentionally bringing-up a touchy subject. _Maybe it could be easier this way…_ “That’s amazing! How long have they been dating?”

 _Longer than I’ve been pregnant,_ Kuroo thought, swallowing as the anxiety returned full-force.

“Officially? Since sophomore year, I think.” He forced out.

“Isn’t that funny? Children effortlessly bring people together, no matter the circumstances.”

“Yeah…”

“Just like with your mother and I,” Mori remembered fondly. “She always wanted more than one child, but when her disease popped-up out of nowhere, making it pretty clear that having another baby after you would be difficult, I underestimated her ability to handle that emotionally; she loved children more than anything, so I really thought she would want to adopt or try again despite her illness, but as time went on, she seemed perfectly happy with little tiny Tetsurou. I guess she was grateful for even one gift…you know her, never vengeful or guilty when it came to her fa—”

As Mori glanced over at his son, he was startled by the appearance of large, hot tear drops falling from Kuroo’s eyelashes as he desperately attempted to stop his emotions from splattering themselves on the table; the alpha immediately stopped eating, eyes never leaving Tetsurou as the younger male wiped at his face, head angling downwards in a shameful position.

“Tetsurou? What’s wrong?” Mori asked gently, scooting his chair closer. “Are you alright?”

The omega really wasn’t alright. He felt like he was betraying his only living parent with each passing minute, especially when Mori mentioned his mom, and combined with the topic of children the situation was a bit too much for him to handle responsibly. Kuroo wiped at his tears pathetically, avoiding eye-contact until Mori laid one of his rough, but ever so openhearted hands on Tetsurou’s limp forearm, encouraging him to tell what was on his troubled mind.

“D-Don’t be mad, okay?” Kuroo began weakly, voice cracking.

“Okay,” Mori replied softly. As if he could ever be mad at his only child. “…What is it? Are you sick?”

“No.”

The mechanic looked momentarily relieved at that reply, patiently waiting as silence rang through their small kitchen, Kuroo trying to find enough strength, enough of his mother’s genes where telling his father about the current predicament would be easy. He couldn’t really blame the fluttering emotions on pregnancy hormones already, but if Bokuto or Suguru asked, he might have to lie as a way of saving part of his reputation. Kuroo swallowed again, pushing away the ache and forcing his eyes upwards, locking with Mori’s familiar brown eyes, the ones that contrasted his own, so differently crafted compared to his deceased mother’s eyes…

_Please don’t let him hate me, please don’t let him hate me. I can’t have Dad hating me. But…if I have to pick between hatred and disappointment, I’ll go with hatred. As long as he doesn’t blame himself, I can handle any other reaction._

“I-I…I’m pregnant, Dad.”

Ah. That look was familiar. The brightness suddenly illuminating Mori’s eyes resembled his son’s whenever he played volleyball, whenever he was happy or excited over something; Kuroo watched closer than ever, trying to find any flicker of disenchantment or anger with the wrinkles and expressions of Mori’s face. There was nothing but a pair of wide, overjoyed brown eyes and an O shaped mouth that quickly turned into a blinding smile.

“Tetsurou…that’s _great_!” Mori exclaimed gently, grabbing his son’s face with triumph. “ _Congratulations_!!!”

“Y-You don’t hate me?” Kuroo chuckled over his falling tears, desperately latching onto the alpha’s hands in case he tried pulling away. “You’re not going to disown me or cut-off all contact with me?”

“No no no!!! You think I would do that to my own son?!”

“No. But…I just…I just didn’t want you…t-to be _disappointed_ , Dad.” Tetsurou sniffled honestly, ducking his head in sweet relief. “I didn’t want to make you…worry even more than usual.”

“Oh Tetsurou,” The mechanic sighed deeply, almost daring to laugh at his son’s concerns. “You could never disappoint me.”

“Only b-because you’re too laid back about everything.”

“Maybe so. But I think it’s mostly because I have a smart, incredible son who still thinks so highly of his old dad.”

Kuroo couldn’t help but grin upon hearing his father’s warm laughter echoing through the room; Mori held onto Tetsurou’s hands tightly, excitement seeping out in his scent and touch. He didn’t act on the feelings right away, content with the reflecting silence as the news officially sunk-in—for Kuroo as well as his dad. It felt real when he told Suguru, but now…it was really official. By springtime, Kuroo would be a parent, and his father a grandparent. Saying it now, eight-and-a-half more months had never felt closer.

“Tell me more about this baby!” Mori requested, scooting his chair even closer as their conversation turned energetic. “When did you find out?!”

“Remember last week when I went to the doctor? Well…turns out I didn’t have the flu like I thought.”

“Ahh, I see! Babies are sneaky like that,” The mechanic nodded. “So…are we mentioning the alpha of this party? Or should I stray away from that subject?”

Kuroo gritted his teeth a bit, debating on whether or not he should lie to his dad about how much of a rich prick Suguru was. Maybe they could gang-up on him when the time came. He doubted Mori was mean enough to do that, though; he always handled tough situations with kind words and mild reasoning. Bokuto would have to do that job on his own. Maybe they could get Akaashi to help, too.

“Well…he…you actually…kind of know him already,” Tetsurou hinted slowly.

“Koutarou’s the father?”

“W-What?!!!! _No_ , Dad!!!”

“…Just making sure,” Mori smiled innocently. “He’s not on drugs or anything? Not an addict or an alcoholic?”

“No—that would totally smear his family’s reputation.” Kuroo rolled his eyes.

“Ooo, a rich boy?! Good going, Tetsurou!” The alpha cheered, making his son blush deeply by hitting his arm in victory. “What’s his major?”

“International business.”

“Fancy.”

“His dad owns Japan’s largest accounting company or something…”

“When you meant family’s reputation, you really meant _family reputation_ ,” Mori laughed in amazement. “He’s like those fancy boys from those Korean shows you watch! What’s his name?”

“It’s this guy I played volleyball against in high school: Suguru Daishou.”

Mori seemed to recall that name, although faintly; he never missed one of Kuroo’s volleyball matches, so sometimes it took a moment to organize hundreds of those games and pick out names from different Tokyo teams.

“Suguru…I think I remember that name. But from what I remember you didn’t like him all that much; didn’t you say you wanted to wring his neck or something?”

“Yeah…but I guess I liked him enough when we—”

The older man watched quietly as Kuroo sighed deeply at himself, taking his arms out of Mori’s grip so he could press his forehead on them against the table; the latter part of his story was mumbled through the fabric of his jacket.

“I told him a few days ago,” Tetsurou explained. “He was surprisingly calm about it, and he wants to help, be in the baby’s life and everything, so…I guess that’s good.”

“What’s he like? Do you think you’ll be able to live with him and the baby?”

“I’m not too sure; I know him a little better now, but we’re still practically strangers. I know it was stupid, Dad, and I know I’m a total idiot for just randomly sleeping with someone, especially someone I’m not in love with, an—”

“I’m gunna stop you right there,” Mori laughed suddenly, immediately silencing his son. Kuroo knew his father only interrupted when he was talking seriously, and so shut his mouth and listened intently. “You’re not stupid, and you’re not an idiot, Tetsurou. These things happen—I get it. You were lonely or hopeless or upset about something and it just so happened that you took your emotions out in an intimate way; and now, you’re getting a priceless, _precious_ gift out of it. Sounds like a pretty damn good deal to me.”

A smile found its way to Kuroo’s lips, honest and normal and everything Mori had been waiting for.

“You’re the best, Dad.”

“Well, only a little bit.” Mori winked playfully. “Wow—I can’t believe I’m going to be a _grandpa_!!! Now I’ll _finally_ have something to brag about with the guys at the shop.”

“What, you don’t brag about me anymore?”

“Of course I do, but you’ve never given me such juicy news before! This will blow their socks off.”

Tetsurou and his father laughed lowly, falling into another moment of reflection on this recent conversation; Mori couldn’t keep that warm smile off his lips, nor could he keep the image of Kuroo as a father out of his head. It made him happy to think about, and his son was glad. At the end of the day, even after all these years, he knew Mori had never really gotten over his wife’s passing—now, he had something to look forward to, something to think about every day. Kuroo wasn’t in volleyball anymore, was off at college and buried in his studies, most likely causing Mori’s thoughts to drift backwards in time, back to when he and his wife were together, as he now had an endless amount of time for reflecting and reminiscing. Maybe this whole accidental baby thing was perfectly planned in the map of fate. Suguru would never believe that because he didn’t watch Kdramas or anime, but maybe Kuroo could convince him.

“This really is incredible, though, Tetsurou.” Mori said lowly, eyes serious. “Congratulations to you and Suguru-kun.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind that you two will work things out and be the best parents ever—now, when will you be moving in together? Are you living by the campus, or closer to Bokuto for emotional support? Or are you going to drop-out and go live with rich boy?”

“Can we talk about this later?”

“No. I need gossip for this week at work, Tetsurou! Give me some details so they won’t think I’m making it up.”

“What?! No way!”

“At least tell me what you think of Suguru; I can lie and say you guys are madly in love.”

Kuroo grumbled at his Dad, but he had never been so relaxed since finding out about his pregnancy. He had a feeling he would be visiting Mori a hell of a lot more often in the next eight months to come. For now, however, Tetsurou was going to enjoy the weekend with his father before all hell broke loose, praying Mori’s laid-back tendencies would rub off on him enough to deal with the storm heading his way.

 

_October_

It was a while before Suguru and Kuroo could find time for apartment shopping; Tetsurou managed to finish his report an hour before it was due following a terrible night of throwing-up and bawling his eyes out, but the next few months wouldn’t be so time-consuming as far as class was concerned. It gave him some time to focus on apartment shopping, work and “getting to know Suguru.” Through their hours upon hours of apartment looking, he discovered that Suguru was definitely pickier than he was, although the alpha himself said this was because he thought ahead further than Kuroo did. In October, change officially began. Kuroo would be moving out of he and Bokuto’s apartment and moving in another with his mortal enemy. Great.

“How is this only the third apartment we’ve actually looked at?” Tetsurou whined when Daishou was driving them to check out another building. “How many have we looked at online?”

“About two-hundred,” Suguru answered, eyes narrowed with determination as they pulled up to the building. “I think this one might be it.”

“Better be…I’m sick of driving around in total silence with you.”

“I told you to put a CD in.”

“All you have is parenting CD’s that came free with that crib!”

“You should take a listen; I think you might learn a few things.”

The omega mumbled under his breath as Suguru parked the car and began telling him something about the history of the building or some crap; this apartment was actually only four blocks away from Bokuto, which Daishou thought might appeal to Kuroo in case their bickering went a step too far or something. Tetsurou hurried out of the car before Suguru had a chance to open the door for him (he felt pathetically helpless when _Suguru_ of all people was being courteous), leading the way and pressing the elevator buttons quickly; _I really should try to be positive about this_ , Kuroo figured silently as awkwardness filled the tiny space. _I’m just cranky because I threw-up again last night. When will this madness end? Pregnant people need their sleep, especially when they won’t be getting any knowing a snake is sleeping beside them…_

“Hey Suguru.”

“Hm?”

“Say butthole in Chinese.”

Daishou glared at him, biting back a comment about his immaturity.

“…No.”

“Pleeeease?” Kuroo begged. “It’ll make the person giving birth to your child really happy!”

“Pìyǎn.”

_That was easy. I think I’ll use that phrase more often._

“ _Hehe_! Say it again!”

Suguru rolled his eyes and sighed as the elevator stopped on the fourth floor; they got off and found their way to the apartment labeled eleven, already open for them to enter. Kuroo went first like always, saying he had more say in where they lived and what the apartment looked like since he would be spending most of his time there after the baby was born. Daishou didn’t argue with that, following the omega inside as they were met with a setting drastically different from all the other apartments they looked at—Tetsurou was taken aback by how homely it felt compared to the fancy, geometrical living rooms of the expensive apartments Suguru liked. When they first walked in, the entryway was wide, with enough room for the pair to stand and be within comfortable distance of each other—contrary to every other place Kuroo had lived in, everything began on the left side rather than the right. It threw him off, but his attention was immediately caught elsewhere, beginning with the grey carpet, tall, high ceilings and bluish dew walls; it reminded Tetsurou of a foggy mountain in the early morning, before the sun rose and after the night’s mist had ceased. Neither boy spoke as they slowly stepped inside, eyes scanning over the apartment as if they had entered a strange dream.

The kitchen to their left didn’t have the fancy-ass steel cabinets like most modern day rooms, instead matching the dew colored walls with a greyish white wood, all lined-up over darker grey cupboard tops, leading to a small but functional island sitting in the center. The entire set-up was expensive, but in a more low-key fashion; a round table right off the kitchen combined the living room with it, and Kuroo let himself drift forward, admiring where the navy blue couch sat in front of a large window, facing a coffee table, two other comfy looking chairs and a perch on the opposite wall for a TV. Suguru remained in the main room as Tetsurou wandered into the hallway, finding a large light-blue themed bathroom equipped with a bathtub/shower, two sinks, and a large mirror patterned with cute little bubbles on the sides. It was every omega’s dream. Bathtubs were holy. In a daze, Kuroo went across the hall to find a large closet and the master bedroom to its left—how could an apartment in _Tokyo_ be so spacious? And it happened to be close to the college, close to a hospital and close to Bokuto? The omega figured it was too good to be true, but let himself be thoroughly impressed by the bedroom, a king size bed perfect for him to make a nest in (not that he would be making one anytime soon), a walk-in closet perfect for Suguru’s extensive chaebol outfits and a beautiful deep blue color that pulled the entire theme together. Kuroo loved it, and ran to the next room excitedly, hoping for more surprising features so he would have facts to show Suguru if he resisted.

 _This reminds me of home!_ The omega thought happily, scurrying down the hall and throwing open the final door. _Perfect location, perfect size for a kid, perfect size for wrestling matches with Uncle Bokuto—_

Kuroo’s thoughts went quiet when he entered the final bedroom, freezing at the threshold; this room was a bit smaller than the first, free of any furniture aside from a small white dresser and a mirror leaning against the wall. Even if Tetsurou hadn’t been pregnant, he would have immediately assumed the room was meant for a child—it was _that_ perfect. The walls were neutrally painted a light grey color, perfectly square and perfectly balanced, enough room for a small bed or crib while still allowing walk space. Kuroo stepped forward, footsteps silent against the squishy blue carpet below as he admired the space, accidentally imagining the placement of their white crib, that old chair his dad insisted he take for rocking their baby to sleep, the posters and pictures they would hang-up on each wall…

The omega stood in the baby room for a long time, just putting all the little details together; when he exited, Suguru was hovering between the living room and kitchen, hand resting on a chair pushed-up to the round table. He wasn’t moving an inch, eyes only fluttering to Kuroo when the black-haired boy came within five feet of him.

“This one,” Tetsurou said intently, breaking the ten-minute silence. “I _love_ this one.”

“Interesting.”

“What do you mean ‘ _interesting’_?! This is a great place! You have to go look at the baby’s room _right now_ , it’s _amazing_ , it’ll be perfect even years down the line!!! Come on, come on—I’ll _show you_ , snake boy—”

“I meant it’s interesting that we _both_ like it,” Suguru explained before Kuroo ripped his arm off. That fierce expression flew off Tetsurou’s face, relief and surprised joy flooding his senses; he released the alpha’s arm and backed off, trying to hide his elated smile and failing. Daishou hid his better, letting it fly the second he knew Kuroo could no longer see him when he began doing little jumps around the table.

“It feels less like a bachelor pad than the other apartments we looked at,” Suguru forced out, glancing at the blue theme and soft edges around him. “I like the color scheme.”

“Right?! It’s so cozy and dream-like!” Kuroo agreed with wide-eyes, halting his jumping to admire more. “I wonder what the rent per month is.”

“Roughly $2,700—a little over 276,000 yen.”

Ouch.

The mechanic’s son wilted like a flower going through a painful, dry death as a drought snuck over the land, eating apart the moisture and nutrients little by little. _At least it’s cheaper than Suguru’s first pick at $5,000 a month, but…that’s still a lot of money. No way I can pay half of that a month, not while I’m still in school—but I REALLY REALLY want it!!! It’s perfect! It’s homey and warm and cool! Bokuto and Akaashi would love it, too, and I love it, and the baby will love it, and it looks straight out of a Kdrama!_

_But… $2,700 a month?_

“Should I call Haru-san so he can get us the papers?”

Tetsurou spun around so quickly he got light-headed, startling Suguru with his blown away expression; the snake raised his eyebrows with suspicion, wondering what set the omega off now.

“Wait—we—we’re really going to live here?” Kuroo tried to clarify.

“Jeez, don’t tell me you’re changing your mind,” The alpha groaned. “You were literally just jumping for joy a second ago!”

“But it—that’s _expensive_ , Suguru! I know you have money and everything, being a rich-ass demonic chaebol, but…it makes me feel shitty not being able to pay even _half_ of that a month, an—”

“Don’t worry about the rent,” Daishou cut him off, slitted eyes suddenly serious. “You just focus on keeping yourself healthy, Kuroo.”

Tetsurou crossed his arms, narrowing his own eyes at Suguru with suspicion; sure, the snake had been holding back his overall terrible personality ever since discovering Kuroo’s pregnancy, but this was way off character—letting Kuroo have his way _and_ telling him he didn’t have to pay a cent? That was a little _too_ nice. It reminded Tetsurou of volleyball, the sick methods Suguru and his teammates used on the referees, being overly apologetic and kissing ass to gain a better reputation…if he was subconsciously trying the same game on Kuroo, he had another thing coming. Nekoma won last time, and they sure as hell were going to win this time, too.

“Oy,” Kuroo addressed, stepping closer. “Why are you acting so…” _Snotty, arrogant, sly, sneaky—take your pick_. “… _Mature_ about this? Is there a reason why you’re letting me have my way?”

“What?”

“Need I remind you that we don’t exactly see eye-to-eye, Daishou-chan? Is there a specific reason you’re letting me make this decision, or has becoming a baby daddy triggered a spiritual enlightenment within your corrupted, snakeish soul?”

Suguru looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but instead, all he did was purse his lips and slowly drag himself to the nearest wall, where the alpha sunk down against the drywall without a single word. Kuroo stood where he was, confused at the other’s reaction, waiting for Suguru to explain.

“You visited your dad a while back,” Daishou stated, picking at his sleeve and avoiding eye contact. “How did that go?”

“Really great,” Kuroo sighed, recalling how Mori had hugged him over eighty-times that weekend. “But I should have seen that coming…he’s the most laid-back person you’ll ever meet. He was happier than I’ve seen him in a while.” _There must be a reason he brought this up now; I guess I should…try to ask, or something?_ “Um…how did yours go?”

“Terrible,” Suguru smiled bitterly as the omega slumped down beside him. “Well, it…I guess I maybe worded it wrong, or something, but I ended-up fighting with my dad. He thought I was asking him to pay you off or whatever, and I got mad, so…I guess we won’t be going to him for support anytime soon. My mom’s cool with it, though.”

“Ahhh, I see, I see—so the chaebol is trying to prove he can take care of himself,” Kuroo nodded, using his knowledge of Asian soap operas to understand. “You should really consider being an actor, Suguru; you’d be able to play all the bad guys really well!”

“I’m opening up to you and this is how you respond? Jerk.”

“To be fair, _I’m_ the one who actually opened up,” Tetsurou grinned, nudging Daishou’s arm playfully. “I am the pregnant one, after all.”

“Sicko,” Suguru mumbled. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Get used to it, dude—starting in a few days, we’re going to be roomies.”

“I’ll try to contain my joy.”

“Are you going to drop out or anything?” Kuroo asked seriously, remembering his father’s question concerning the subject. “Honestly, I kinda considered it for a while, but let’s think about it—school ends in late May, which means we’ll have all of June and July to get settled with the baby before classes start again in late August. Mid-May is also most likely when the baby will come, but as long as I get finals done for the year, it shouldn’t really interfere with anything.”

“I guess,” Suguru hummed, sliding his legs out as he went into deep thought. “But what about next year? Are you going to change your classes to online so you can stay home with the baby, or just get a babysitter for when you have class?”

“Well, it’s my senior year, so I don’t exactly want to mess-up the flow by switching to online courses,” The omega said slowly. “But…I really don’t want to miss anything with baby Kuroo…”

“We have time to think about everything, so don’t make any drastic decisions—right now, why don’t we call Haru-san and get the papers for the apartment? We can at least get this part started.”

“Dude—when did you become so _official_?” Kuroo stressed, shooting Suguru a disgusted look as they stood up, the shorter boy dialing their real estate agent’s number. “You might have been a better volleyball player if you had this much focus in high school.”

“International business major, remember?” Suguru smirked. “ _Oh Daishou, say something in Chinese, you’re so hot when you speak Chinese_.”

“I didn’t fucking say that, you prude!”

“I’m an expert at body language, kitty-chan, and trust me when I say you’re always _oozing_ desperation whenever you hear me speak in a different language. I bet if I said ‘ _Tetsurou, let me bend you over the couch and have my way with you_ ’ in Korean, you would b—”

“ _Suguru?_ ” Haru the real estate agent spoke through the phone. “ _Um…is everything okay?”_

Kuroo laughed into his hands as Suguru’s cheeks turned bright red, hurriedly apologizing and requesting the documents for the apartment. Haru was there within the hour, and Tetsurou could only watch and feel shitty (but slightly proud his baby daddy for being able to pay for things like this) as Suguru signed the papers, writing a check out for the first month like it was nothing. It took ten more minutes for the alpha to convince Kuroo it was okay to leave, that they were now officially renters of the apartment and no one would stake claim on the property once they left. It finally occurred to Tetsurou that once he and Suguru moved their belongings to this new building…they would be _living_ together. When he woke up every morning, his arch enemy would be there. When he really needed to use the bathroom for maternity vomiting, Suguru would already be hogging it for various chaebol reasons. When he wanted dinner, he would have to consult Daishou to see if he was hungry as well. Suddenly, the omega’s world revolved with a snake hot on its trail—life was funny that way.

“…This is really happening, huh?” Kuroo asked nervously, glancing back at the suddenly dooming building behind them.

“Mhm…you ready?”

“Yeah. You?”

Daishou put aside his rich boy attitude for a moment and allowed a small smile to point in Kuroo’s direction.

“Yeah,” He replied honestly. “I’m ready.”

~~~-~~~

Bokuto and Akaashi offered to help Kuroo and Suguru move into their new apartment later in the week; Bokuto blabbered about he and his boyfriends’ Halloween costumes as they packed-up the omega’s belongings, and it didn’t take long for the merciless teasing to begin.

_“Hey, I’ve got an idea! If Akaashi and I are going as Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor, maybe you and Suguru can go as Voldemort and Harry Potter!”_

_“Is it really safe to live with a snake who doesn’t have a cage?”_

_“Make sure to check your eggs every morning—you never know when Suguru might’ve popped one of his own in there.”_

Kuroo had never been so glad for Akaashi Keiji, who kept his troublesome boyfriend in line while simultaneously organizing all Tetsurou’s junk, sorting it into perfectly sized boxes and ensuring Bokuto never went near the sharpie. He did manage to scribble on one label, though, drawing a very inaccurate sketch of a snake wearing a trench coat carrying a baby kitten with its penis tail.

“That’s fucking disturbing, Bo.”

“It’s a metaphor—or an illusion, or…whatever that symbolism stuff is…”

Tetsurou was actually pretty depressed about moving; despite his roommate’s obnoxious tendencies, he was really going to miss their wrestling matches and stupid conversations and shared memories of the glory volleyball days. They would have moved out on their own eventually, but Kuroo figured they had another solid two-years left together…and that time was cut short by Suguru and his stupid sexy chaebol attitude and international business degree. He was really going to have to give that snake a piece of his mind one of these days. For now, however, Kuroo focused on keeping his nervous energy contained, packing the remainder of his wardrobe (with a few maternity items generously donated by Akaashi) into the final boxes as Bokuto readied the car.

“Is that already everything?” Tetsurou asked, scratching the back of his head as he and Akaashi glanced over the empty looking apartment.

“Seems to be.”

“I got my sheets, my Christmas decorations?”

“Yes.”

“Bokuto remembered to put my favorite blanket in the car?”

“If I didn’t know you any better, Kuroo, I’d say you were trying to stall.” The other omega suggested with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course I’m trying to stall!” Kuroo wailed. “I’m moving in with Suguru Daishou, my volleyball arch-nemesis! Why would I be excited about that?!”

“Because you’re pregnant,” Akaashi shrugged casually, taping up the last of his friend’s boxes. “Pregnancy brings out the most vulnerable emotions from an omega.”

“Don’t remind me—my snarkiness is a defense mechanism _against_ that…I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle Suguru taking advantage of my pregnancy every waking hour.”

“Car’s ready!” Bokuto hollered while running back into the room. “Let’s go, we gotta beat Daishou-chan there!”

“We’re almost ready, Bokuto-san,” Keiji replied while avoiding his boyfriend’s tickling fingers. “Carry these last boxes out, please.”

“If you want to see me flex, Kaashi, all you gotta do is ask.”

“You two sicken me,” Tetsurou whined, though he felt grateful for such a healthy relationship example. “How am I supposed to survive the next nine months living with someone as privileged as Suguru when he has less than _half_ the amount of sweetness you two have towards me?”

“Pf. Who says we aren’t going to have an orgy party once you’re gone, bro?”

Akaashi smacked Bokuto’s arm and ordered him out of the apartment, making the alpha whimper in defeat; Kuroo let himself fall onto the familiar couch one final time, recalling those great memories he and Bokuto shared of this place, all their arguments and dance offs, their balloon volleyball matches and early morning jogs…Tetsurou’s entire world was doing a 360 degree flip, and honestly, he wasn’t mentally or emotionally prepared for such a lifestyle change. All far back as Kuroo could remember he lived a little over just getting by, humor and friendship raising his quality of life—now, instead of returning home after a rough day of class and work to be greeted by the ever quirky Bokuto, and occasionally his boyfriend Akaashi and his daughter…Tetsurou would only come face to face with Suguru. The rich, manipulative business major who had never owned anything worth less than 100,000 yen. An alpha very unlike Koutarou, with a strangely pleasant scent and inaccurate senses. He would be returning home and sleeping near an ex-virgin who almost tore his ass in two, called him hot and got him pregnant. There was no possible way this situation could ever turn in Kuroo’s favor. He would end-up a miserable single parent who drops his kid off at the way nicer mansion every other weekend, where they ate expensive food, learned about international business and were waited on hand and foot instead of sitting at a cheap table eating leftover takeout while making idle conversations about nothing. Akaashi must have felt these concerns through Kuroo’s scent, because he interrupted the other’s inner ramblings.

“It’s not like you’ll never be back here, Kuroo-san,” Keiji reasoned thoughtfully. “I don’t think Bokuto-san would be opposed to you dropping by a few times a week for dinner, or whatever else it is you’re in need of…I mean, I’m technically not in charge ( _yet_ ), but you’ll always be welcomed back here if you need us.”

“You really mean that, omega-who-is-dating-my-best-friend-but-is-way-out-of-his-league?”

“Yes,” Akaashi rolled his eyes. “I really mean it. If something were to happen between you and Suguru-san, we would be glad to have you back.”

“So…I take it you’re filling my place, then?” Tetsurou asked with a curious grin. Gossiping about his friends made him forget the current stressful situation. “Did Bokuto ask you and Kiyoko to move in?”

“He didn’t so much ask as he did hint that I should bring the topic up,” Keiji sighed lightly, motioning for Kuroo to follow him off the couch. “My lease isn’t finished until the first of November, and I have to make sure it’s okay with Kiyoko, but the possibility is likely.”

“Man…you’re so cool about being responsible, Akaashi! I hope I’m that laid-back when my kid is born. And handling Bokuto is like raising two children—you’re _supermom_!”

“I assure you, Kuroo-san, I only appear laid-back as a defense mechanism.”

“Ah…we should have a talk about that—pregnancy and parenting, I mean,” Kuroo suggested awkwardly. Who would’ve thought he would be asking Bokuto’s boyfriend for parenting advice? “If you’re comfortable with the subject.”

“Of course; we may have to invite Bokuto as well, because I don’t think he has a firm grip on how male pregnancy works. He thinks they grow vaginas and that they disappear after the baby is born.”

“Pfft!!! No fucking way!”

On cue, Bokuto came hurrying down the sidewalk just as Kuroo and Akaashi were exiting the apartment complex; he cocked his head to the side curiously, wondering what his roommate was laughing so hard about.

“Hey hey…what’s so funny? What’d you say, Akaashi?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Well it must have been something! Or…or is he just losing it because he’s moving in with _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_?”

“Male omegas grow _vaginas_ during pregnancy?!!!!” Kuroo wheezed loudly, pointing an accusing finger in Bokuto’s direction. The alpha’s mouth fell open in shock. “And they—And they _disappear_ after the baby’s born?!!!!! _Ahahahaha!!!!_ ”

“Wh—How—It—I d-didn’t know, okay?!” Bokuto defended, wilting with embarrassment as Tetsurou held onto his stomach, laughing like there was no tomorrow. “It’s an honest mistake!”

“N-No it’s _n-not_!!!”

“Akaashee, how could you tell him that?!” The alpha wailed dramatically, grabbing his boyfriend’s sleeve like a child as they made their way to the car. “You were supposed to keep it between us!”

“Kuroo-san needed comic relief; you should be flattered I jumped directly to you for the solution.”

“Roasted!”

“Shut up!”

“Ahhh _hahahaa_ …”

Akaashi smiled to himself as the two best friends bickered back and forth, teasing each other about anything and everything; the trunk and most of the backseat was packed full of boxes, their dooming meaning lost on Kuroo as he enjoyed another afternoon with his friends. He always knew Bokuto would be there for him if things didn’t work out with Suguru, but sometimes his anxiety got the best of him, forcing the omega to forget these pleasant moments that stitched together he and Bokuto’s relationship. Akaashi would help, too, and if all else failed Kuroo could drop out of college and return to Nekoma with his father. That wasn’t such a bad turnout of events…not the one he pictured, of course, but there could be worse things than having two possible living situations with people Kuroo really loved. Hopefully, however, Suguru wouldn’t push his new roommate that far away in the months to come.

 _Hopefully_.

“Damnit!” Bokuto cursed, hitting his hand on the wheel. “That little snake is already here!”

Sure enough, when the trio pulled into the parking lot of Kuroo’s new building, Suguru was just grabbing the last box from a different car he owned, one with more room but probably a similar amount of worth as the Acura; Koutarou honked obnoxiously at the other alpha, making Kuroo snort when Daishou jumped in surprise. They parked near the fancy car, trying not to stare while piling out of the car.

“Let’s take it easy on the insults and name-calling, alright?” Tetsurou warned Bokuto in a whisper. “I do have to live with this guy for like…the next fifty-years or whatever.”

“Fine. But if he crosses me or Akaashi—”

“You’ll kick his ass, I know. As much as I’d love to witness that, let’s save it for another day, mk?”

“Alright,” Bokuto mumbled in agreement when Akaashi touched his arm. “For another day.”

“Let’s go greet him and start things off right,” The other black-haired omega suggested.

“Are you _crazy_ , Akaashee?! He’ll bite your head off, and you’re too pretty to be digested in a snake stomach!”

“Dude, what did I just say?!”

“I see you two are still as childish as ever,” Suguru commented snidely, strolling over to where the three college students stood. “I expected you hours ago—what took you so long?”

“Despite my lack of wealth, I actually do have many personal belongings, Daishou-chan,” Kuroo smiled good humoredly. “Is that your last box? I figured it’d take at least three days to sort all your volleyball trophies—oh…wait a second…I totally forgot: Nohebi didn’t make it to nationals, did they?”

“Hey!” Bokuto piped-up, despite Akaashi digging his fingernails into the alpha’s arm. “Why do you get to insult him and I can’t?!”

“Because he’s my new roomie! Roomies tease each other, right, snake boy?”

“…Yeah,” Suguru replied sharply through his white fangs, sneering underneath his fake smile. “Roomies _also_ play vicious pranks on each other when they’re sleeping.”

“Well you already got me pregnant, so I don’t see how any other prank can out do that one.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Suguru-san,” Akaashi interrupted, rolling his eyes at the other two boys. “I’m Akaashi Keiji, Bokuto’s boyfriend.”

Daishou’s attention was caught, green snake eyes slowly flickering to Keiji and looking the quietly pretty omega up and down for a moment; his gaze then trailed over to the dorky, loud alpha standing at his side, expression blank as he spoke his conclusion.

“I don’t get it.”

“What did you say?!!!” Bokuto shouted while rolling up his sweatshirt sleeve.

“Before we start a fight in the parking lot, let’s bring my stuff inside,” Kuroo chuckled. This went exactly as he figured it would; it was actually kind of comforting to be right for once. “We’re burning daylight!”

Bokuto and Suguru managed to not push each other dosn the elevator shaft, carefully monitored by Akaashi and Tetsurou after one of the boxes full of the omega’s underwear almost ended-up going up a floor all on its own. The only thing more humiliating than sleeping with Suguru would be borrowing his underwear, and Kuroo was determined not to go through that shit. Thankfully, the elevator ride wasn’t awkwardly quiet because of the tension and mumbled arguments between the argumentative alphas.

“How did you already get all your stuff up here without any help?” Kuroo wondered, taking note of Suguru’s final box.

“Who said I didn’t have help?”

“Snakes usually live in isolation when bred in the wild,” Bokuto snickered.

“We could’ve helped if you waited a while.”

“I didn’t bring that much stuff,” Daishou grumbled in embarrassment, tightening his hold on the small box. “Just my clothes and books…”

“Well, you have friends by association, now, so if you need anything, just call Bokuto.”

“…Sorry, what?”

“He said we’re Suguru’s friends, now, so we’re obligated to help when he needs it.” Akaashi clarified coolly.

“I’d rather be eaten alive!”

“Daishou-chan’s actually probably only good at _eating_ when he’s with me,” Kuroo smirked as the elevator stopped on their floor. “Hate to break it to you, Bo.”

Tetsurou’s comment opened a wave of denial and anger from both Suguru and Bokuto that continued even as they stepped inside their new apartment; Koutarou was confused at how the room started at the left, but with Akaashi’s guidance they found themselves in the living room, where a few of Daishou’s books were on the coffee table waiting to be sorted. True to his word, the apartment hadn’t really been changed except with the addition of clothing and chaebol jewelry in the master bedroom; Kuroo thought it sad that Suguru owned no decorations other than three framed pictures waiting to be hung on the wall. After putting his own boxes aside, the omega quietly glanced over the pictures: the first was of a child Suguru (a way cuter version than this model) and one of his young cousins or maybe a childhood friend smiling at the camera, totally covered in sand and various other nature-ish substances while kneeling in a messy sandbox. The second was a picture of Daishou with his parents on graduation day, and the final image was one that triggered Bokuto the most—a picture of Suguru and his Nohebi volleyball teammates, all grinning and cheering wildly on the court after a point scored.

“Ahh, the good old days!” Koutarou said, snatching the picture off the table. “Back when kicking butt was a lifestyle choice!”

“Yeah right,” Suguru snickered, prying the precious frame away from the ace’s grubby hands. “If I remember right, Fukurodani lost to those pricks Itachiyama in the championship.”

“So?”

“What do you mean, ‘so’?”

“Lookie here, Suguru,” Bokuto smirked, holding one of Kuroo’s volleyball pictures out towards the alpha’s face. “ _This_ is what success looks like.”

“That’s funny, because I _distinctly_ remember welcoming those cats to the losing side.” Daishou smiled darkly, pushing the frame away as if it were a cross burning his flesh.

“At least we made it to Nationals,” Kuroo mumbled under his breath while brushing past his roommate.

“What was that?”

“Nothing…”

“When you’re not pregnant anymore, Kuroo, we should _totally_ get a game together,” Bokuto suggested while setting down another box. “Let’s show Suguru we’ve still got what it takes to beat him into the ground!”

“I don’t think I’ll be recovered from childbirth that quickly, bro.”

“Tetsurou-san will need some downtime after the baby is born,” Akaashi agreed. “Trust me on that one.”

“Well, why don’t we do it right now, then? Which box has your old uniform in it, Kuroo?”

“There won’t be any volleyball matches anytime soon,” Suguru interrupted seriously, eyes narrowing at Koutarou. “Can we just focus on getting all these boxes organized? I don’t want them to be sitting in the living room for the next nine-months.”

Bokuto pretended to kick Daishou’s ass as he walked by, getting a snort out of Kuroo and yet another eye-roll from Akaashi. Thankfully, they managed to safely transfer all Tetsurou’s belongings from the car into the apartment, the omegas ensuring the alpha’s arguments didn’t go too far; there wasn’t much room left in the bedroom closet, so Kuroo mostly put his stuff in the fancy walk-in closet, which, honestly, was more suited for expensive designer coats than the thrift store plaids and dirty sneakers Tetsurou threw in there. Maybe it would make him feel better about himself, walking into a huge closet and pretending like he had a lot to choose from. Akaashi helped both boys sort their school books and found the best locations for silverware, although Bokuto accidentally dropped Kuroo’s box of mugs, breaking a few chunks off each one…Suguru had plenty of fancy ones, though, so it wasn’t such a tragedy. And so, this was how the afternoon went, a few harmless jabs here and there, mixed with awkward interior design comments from Suguru and short nods from Kuroo; it was nearing dinner time when they finally decided to take a short break, plopping on the couch and admiring their work so far.

“This is a seriously nice ass place,” Koutarou complimented in an impressed hum, finally taking note of the modern flare within the apartment. “Um…how are you affording to live here, Kuroo?”

“I’m paying the rent,” Suguru answered casually, frowning at the wall while trying to find a suitable position for his three small frames. “I don’t want Kuroo’s body going through unnecessary stress.”

Bokuto seemed stunned at this reply, locking eyes with Tetsurou who simply shrugged. _That answer almost gave the impression that…Suguru CARES about my Kuroo_ , the thicker alpha thought suspiciously, eyeing Daishou. _Weird. Voldemort can’t love! It’s mathematically impossible!_

“We should go get some food,” Akaashi said suddenly, standing up from the squishy chair beside the couch. “Is anyone else hungry?”

“I am,” The other omega raised his hand tiredly.

“Me too…” Bokuto agreed slowly. The expression of his golden eyes turned predatory. “Hungry for VICTORY!”

Daishou screeched like a girl as he was jerked backwards, immediately tackled to the ground and trapped in one of Koutarou’s famous headlocks before anyone could react; Bokuto cackled happily, watching as the snake struggled in his grasp, attempting to worm his way out of the tight hold.

“ _Fucking_ —let go!” Daishou hissed, violently grabbing at the other alpha’s large forearms. Akaashi was ashamed to admit that he was slightly turned-on by the sight. “Get the hell off!!!”

“Not until you say the magic wordsss!” The thicker boy taunted playfully, making Kuroo laugh.

“ _Please_!”

“That’s not the magic word, silly! There’s only two ways you can get out of a Bokuto Koutarou headlock.”

“Then tell me how, you fat-ass owl!” Suguru thrashed desperately, twisting and turning in Bokuto’s grip.

“Fine, fine…method number one: say ‘Bokuto is the best.’”

“Go to hell!”

“I guess that leaves us to number two,” Koutarou grinned brightly. When his ex-roommate saw those golden eyes flicker to him, he knew he was in trouble. “…Number two: a magical kiss on the lips will release the spell and free you from Bokuto’s grasp!”

“If your poisoned lips even come within _three-inches_ of mine, my lawyers will be sending your sorry ass to jail for a long time, Bokuto!” Daishou shouted furiously. “Release me this instant!”

“ _I’m_ not the one who will be kissing you, Suguru-chan.”

Everyone simultaneously looked at Kuroo, much to his displeasure. He threw his head back and groaned with agony, hardly feeling Akaashi’s comforting pat on the arm.

“You’re sickening,” Suguru spat at Bokuto, who simply tightened his headlock.

“Come on, Kuroo! I’m starving, and I don’t want to be sitting this close to a snake all day!” Koutarou laughed joyfully. He understood the happiness professional torturers felt when their victims struggled in their hold. “Just one little kiss can break the spell and set your baby daddy free!”

“I’ve never hated you so much, Bokuto.”

“Better hurry—Akaashi gets cranky when he’s hungry, and you do _not_ want to see him in that state.”

“…It’s true.” The other omega mumbled lowly.

“Fine!” Kuroo relented, throwing himself off the couch. Suguru went totally still in Koutarou’s grip, eyes widening slightly as the omega marched towards them. “But you’re paying for lunch, sadistic bastard…”

“Deal! Pucker-up, Suguru-chan~”

“This…this is _totally_ unethical,” Daishou resisted, face flushing when Tetsurou leaned down in his space. He wasn’t actually going through with it, was he? No way…

“No,” The dark-haired boy sighed. “This is Bokuto.”

Akaashi could only silently raise an eyebrow as Kuroo effortlessly pressed his lips against Suguru’s, giving him a long peck that softly popped when he backed away, leaving the snake stunned and quiet. Bokuto seemed shocked into a frozen state—it had taken _months_ to kiss Keiji that easily, and yet, Kuroo managed to perform that well with _Suguru_ , of all people? If he didn’t now any better, he would say his roommate had been secretly dating the rich punk since their freshmen year of college.

“There,” Tetsurou said, straightening up so he could place his hands on his hips. “Now go get us pork cutlet.”

“O…Okay…”

Bokuto finally released Suguru, letting him flop to the carpet like a dead fish; the alpha stayed there, motionless for a long while as the other omega rose from the couch.

“Come on,” Akaashi said, grabbing his boyfriend’s hand and leading him towards the door. “There’s a place not too far away that makes good pork cutlet. You’re driving.”

“Right…”

“Why are you so surprised?” Keiji grinned quietly as they grabbed their jackets by the door. “Kuroo is pregnant with Suguru’s child—isn’t it safe to assume they’ve kissed before this point?”

Koutarou didn’t respond. He couldn’t, really, not with the way Kuroo kissing Suguru so effortlessly was burned into his memory, even as he and Akaashi left the scene behind to retrieve some food. Daishou hadn’t moved, didn’t flinch when the apartment door shut; Kuroo stared down in concern, wondering if Bokuto had accidentally broken his neck or something.

“Um…you okay, Suguru?” Tetsurou asked hesitantly, poking the alpha’s head with his socked foot. “Has your snake tail been chopped off?”

“No,” Daishou mumbled into the carpet.

“Ahh, I see—you need a moment to recover from my kiss. Understandable.”

Suguru went to hiss that it wasn’t the case, but since that would be a total lie, both to Kuroo and himself, the business major shut his mouth and remained lying on the floor for a minute longer. When the heat of his cheeks finally died down, Daishou pulled himself up and sat down at the round table where Kuroo was already seated, nibbling on a half-empty bag of chips he found in one of his boxes earlier. They were outdated and stale, but he was a starving pregnant dude—what else would he eat? Suguru’s dick? As convenient as that seemed right now, Kuroo didn’t feel like throwing-up, and settled with his stale chips.

“We gotta stock this place with better snacks.”

“You know…” Suguru replied as he sat down across from Kuroo. “People say _I’m_ a snack.”

“That’s not what your mom means when she says you’re handsome, Daishou.”

“Shut up—if I remember right, you seemed to think I tasted _delicious_ that one morning.”

“I was a delusional college student who just lost his virginity to a snake,” Kuroo said in his defense. “I would have sucked on anything if given the chance.”

“Whatever…”

“Want one?” Tetsurou offered, holding the bag of chips towards the alpha. “They’re stale, but pretty good.”

“I think I’ll wait for the pork cutlet, thank you.”

“I wasn’t actually going to give you any—I was just starting conversation so I could as you something.”

“What is it?” Suguru wondered, looking up.

“Do you really think we’ll be able to live together? I mean…we’re like, totally opposites. I know we ‘connected’ that night or whatever, but…do you think that’s enough to…make us work together?”

The alpha found himself out of answers right away. He and Kuroo only had one thing in common (volleyball), and they showed their love in very different ways; that night, however, their movements had almost felt effortless, like they secretly knew each curve and detail of each other’s bodies. Suguru remembered how the omega shivered as his sides were lightly rubbed by Daishou, how they both become so intoxicated by the other’s scent it made them more drunk than the alcohol had. They even came together, at the same time, a burning moment shared like two lovers who had known each other all their lives—if they could be that in synch without knowing one another, didn’t they stand a good chance _together_?

“I…really don’t know,” Daishou admitted, tapping his fingers together. “We…we were kinda synched-up that night, weren’t we? I mean, not that I had anything to compare it to, but I thought it was okay. Aside from me…you know. Almost breaking your ass in two pieces.”

“Aside from that scarring incident, it…yeah. We were pretty comfortable for hardly speaking in over two-years.” Kuroo nodded. “Does that make us weird?”

“Pf. You were already weird; you’re lucky I forgot to care that night.”

“Oh shut it, Nagini.” Tetsurou laughed, throwing a chip at him. “The dramatic saga continues: can a Gryffindor and a Slytherin really come together to save the world? Or will Hufflepuff Bokuto and Ravenclaw Akaashi have to step in?”

“See? Weird.”

Suguru almost let a smile peek out after making Kuroo laugh again. Unintentionally, the alpha’s thoughts drifted back to that one night in late August, when he stumbled upon his volleyball enemy sitting alone on a bench, looking just as lonely as Daishou felt. It was kind of sad to be getting rid of that apartment, the bedroom being the place where their baby was accidentally created…but this place would be where baby Suguru took their first steps, said their first word. At the end of the day, that was more important to Daishou. (Kuroo, on the other hand, was just happy the sex leading up to this beautiful gift had been pretty damn good. If people had higher standards they would realize sex with someone you like at an older age is way nicer than sex with someone you might like at a younger age; he almost felt glad Suguru hadn’t slept with anyone bef—)

_Let’s not finish that thought._

“Guess we’ll really get to know each other through this experience, huh?” Tetsurou hummed, shooting a smile over at Daishou.

“It appears so,” The chaebol sighed. “When we come home every night…the other person will be here.”

“When you’re trying to relieve your sexual appetite in the bathroom, the other person will come barging in—”

“Jeez, kitty-chan; you’re really thirsty for me, aren’t you?”

“Ew, no!”

“How can you say ‘ew’?” Suguru argued back. He was funny when he got worked-up. “You already slept with me, dumbass!”

“Just like pissing you off, _daddy_.”

“Mother of god,” The alpha mumbled while getting up from the chair. “I’m going to set things up in the bathroom.”

“Hold on!” Kuroo jumped up, hurrying after him. “I wanna see all the fancy Korean skin products you use! I can use them, too, right?”

“No way! Those are _expensive_!”

“Buy me some ones especially for pregnancy, okay? I wanna maintain my image through winter; my skin gets dry, you see, and the cold wind makes my acne flare up…”

Akaashi and Bokuto discovered the bickering pair in the bathroom thirty-minutes later, fighting over beauty products on the bright blue rug near the tub. It was quite a sight, and Koutarou was more suspicious about their relationship than ever, though his boyfriend tried putting those worries to rest. After their first official dinner in the new apartment, Kuroo’s friends bid them farewell for the night, Bokuto hugging his best friend for a solid five-minutes before he was pried away by Akaashi. The other alpha wondered why the word _envy_ kept reappearing in his mind. So far, the apartment shaped-up to be the perfect fit for them, Suguru taking a long-ass shower as Kuroo did a few last minute things for the evening, too tired for anymore interior design decisions; he wrote-up his usual class/work schedule and hung it next to Suguru’s on the fridge, both irritated and slightly relieved he and Daishou’s off-days were the same. Things didn’t start feeling as weird as Kuroo expected until it was time for him to shower.

“Your turn, kitty cat,” Daishou hummed when he exited the bathroom.

Steam floated out behind the alpha as Tetsurou sat on the couch in shock at the sight before him. It lasted only three-seconds, but it was a solid three-seconds, enough where he caught sight of Suguru’s bare upper torso, lower portion covered by a dark green towel, a fluffy white towel wrapped around the snake’s hair. Kuroo hadn’t seen that part of Daishou since _that night_. Admittedly, seeing those narrow hips and thin waist, now, rosy and sensitive from the hot shower stream turned him on. Not that he would admit it, though—once the sinful serpent entered their bedroom, Kuroo sprinted into the bathroom with his head down, slamming the door behind him and immediately jumping in the fancy shower; he _really_ didn’t want to jack-off to Suguru on the very first night they were living together. That probably wasn’t a good omen, so after spending seven-minutes figuring out the shower’s knobs, Tetsurou washed the almost boner away with some cold water.

 _This is going to be harder than I expected_ , the black-haired student thought, suddenly nervous as he realized he could smell Suguru’s shampoo. _I’ve been around Bokuto for so long I totally forgot what it’s like to get used to new scents…and I only ever soaked in Daishou-chan’s scent when we were “intimate.” Will that cause problems between us, since the last time we smelled each other we had sex? From what little I know about pregnancy, I can guess I’ll be starving for attention and a few scenting sessions, but I’m sure as hell not going to ask Suguru to do that—it’s totally pathetic and way against my morals!_

 _So was sleeping with him_ , a voice giggled in the back of his head.

_Shut it. I’ll just go to Bokuto for that. Akaashi doesn’t mind, so it’ll be fine. But…will HE mind?_

While a shower should have been relaxing enough to put Kuroo’s worries away, he exited feeling more lost and confused than ever; the newly set up TV was on, and in an attempt to hide his insecurities, Tetsurou headed straight over after throwing a t-shirt and pajama pants on.

“Hey,” The omega addressed, standing in front of the coffee table as Suguru sat on the couch in his pajamas. They were made of black silk, and reminded Kuroo of a dementor. “How are we going to set boundaries?”

“What do you mean?” Daishou questioned.

“I mean is it okay to walk around half-naked since we already know what the other person looks like? Or are we going to awkwardly squirm around each other whenever they come out wearing only a towel?”

Daishou’s dark blush didn’t give Kuroo confidence like usual. Honestly, he felt a little sick with all these new scents floating around, and the shower only made things worse.

“Um…I…I don’t know,” The alpha shrugged, hiding his face. “Whatever you think we should do.”

“Well, it’s less awkward if we just go for it, but I don’t want you getting the wrong idea.”

“Right back at you.”

“So we’ll both walk around like we own the joint to eliminate stress and creepy conversations, but we’ll also be aware that nakedness is not an invitation—understood?”

Suguru nodded certainly, eyes drifting upwards to investigate Kuroo’s current stance; the second he opened the bathroom door, Daishou noticed a tense, almost anxious energy darting from wall to wall. Sure, he felt nervous about this new situation, too, but from the bouncy way Tetsurou was acting he figured the omega couldn’t smell him as much as Suguru could smell his off-center scent. He secretly watched Kuroo from under his eyelashes, taking note of the tapping foot and stiffly crossed arms as Kuroo blankly looked at the TV screen, staring, but not watching.

“TV works okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. It’s the perfect size for my soaps.”

“…Yup.”

Through Daishou’s familiarity with heartbreak (volleyball, Mika, etc.), he knew Kuroo’s scent wasn’t altered from something _he_ had done; the cat didn’t like him enough to be greatly damaged by his standoffish behavior, but the personal sensation of his scent made Suguru wonder if leaving Bokuto had something to do with it. They were best friends, after all, their relationship over five-years old in the making…he probably missed the crazy haired bastard. Despite his theories, the alpha didn’t think that was the real problem. Kuroo almost seemed to be making himself small, if unintentionally, a good distance away from Suguru, in their new apartment, watching TV in silence, seemingly miles away from any close friends or family…

“We’re not sleeping together, you know.”

“Huh?” Kuroo said, glancing over.

“Your scent,” Suguru commented, being careful to not show _too_ much concern. “It’s…anxious.”

“Well, that’s not really because of… _that_ situation…”

“I’m sleeping on the couch, you’re sleeping on the bed,” The alpha informed him, unfolding a blanket sitting on the arm rest. “What time do you usually go to bed?”

Tetsurou seemed a little startled by the conversation, mouth hanging open for a few seconds before he forced a reply out.

“Um…depends on how much homework I have, but…usually around eleven or so. I’m sure it’ll change during the pregnancy, though.”

“Right. I’m usually around that same time, maybe a bit earlier. You wanna watch something? One of your K shows or whatever?”

“No thanks…I’m just gunna turn in early. That okay?”

Kuroo couldn’t believe he just asked permission from _Suguru Daishou_ , but thankfully he didn’t regret his choice, getting a shrug in response as Suguru laid back on the couch.

“I don’t really care, kitty-chan,” He sighed deeply. “Just don’t wake me up by banging pots and pans, okay? That’s a road you don’t want to go on. Ask my mom.”

“No promises.”

The omega was a little scared to go into the bedroom. Bokuto wouldn’t be there with breakfast already made in the morning. His scent wasn’t lingering from the move-in earlier, and Kuroo really wanted something familiar to snuggle with…there was always Suguru, but that was totally out of the question. Tetsurou’s fear didn’t come from pregnancy hormones—he had this issue when he first moved away from home, too, crying through the whole night with Bokuto, going into hysteria when they went to grab a tissue, only to realize they didn’t have any. Kuroo sure as hell wasn’t going to run towards Suguru with open arms, but he still wasn’t ready for bed time and thus, tried to continue their dying conversation.

“You…You don’t have to sleep on the couch, you know.” He reasoned, turning back to face Daishou. _Don’t think about how cute his wet hair is, don’t think about how cute his wet hair is…_ “I mean, I could ask Bokuto to bring my old bed over. That thing can’t be very comfortable, and I’m not being held responsible if you hurt your back laying on that thing every night.”

“Aw, is the kitten worried about me?” Suguru teased with a smirk. “How sweet.”

“Pf—you wish, baby.”

“You’re still standing here, so it’s safe to assume you long to be close.”

“What did I say about not falling in love with me?”

“You’re not _that_ much of a charmer, Kuroo.” Daishou rolled his eyes.

“No, but I am a certified snake charmer, Suguru, and I’m sure you remember how much kitty loves to _bite_.” Tetsurou winked. “By the way, have any of those marks cleared up yet?”

“No, they haven’t, and they really hurt sometimes. Thanks a lot for that, bastard.”

“If it’s any consolation, I still have a few of my own, although they might be infected; you better hope it doesn’t affect our child’s physical attractiveness.”

“If anything, that venom will make them _irresistible_.”

“Yeah—irresistibly _ugly_.”

“What?”

Suguru looked so pissed and confused by that joke it made Kuroo burst out laughing, the noise finally getting a reaction from the alpha, who chuckled a bit and shook his head. That seemed to erase the lingering nervousness in the air, and although Tetsurou still felt bad about Daishou having to sleep on the couch, he figured one night wouldn’t hurt; maybe, if he was feeling generous, he would find a solution tomorrow.

“I’m going to bed,” Kuroo laughed breathlessly. Maybe teasing Suguru could become his main source of entertainment. “See you in the morning, baby daddy.”

“Yeah. Goodnight.”

Before the omega could disappear down the hallway, Daishou felt like he needed to say something else, and called out to him awkwardly.

“Um—Kuroo!”

The black-haired boy turned, head cocked to the side.

“Uhh…just…wake me up if you, like…need anything. Okay?”

“Such a caring alpha I have,” Tetsurou hummed teasingly. “Goodnight, snake-chan.”

Suguru pulled the thin blanket over his chin, hoping it would hide his blush in the darkness as Kuroo entered the bedroom, closing the door halfway behind him; the alpha really didn’t mind sleeping on the couch. In fact, that was his last concern right now, on the bottom of the list compared to becoming a father, moving in with his arch enemy, living with his handsome arch enemy who happened to be the omega he got pregnant…yeah. The couch wasn’t that much of an issue. As Daishou turned the TV off and stared at the ceiling, as he would for many nights to come, he could only hope his limited patience and need to be in control wouldn’t immediately destroy what he and Kuroo were trying to create.

Tetsurou didn’t feel so lonely as he crawled into bed. There were a few texts from Bokuto wishing him luck, a few from Akaashi saying how his boyfriend only now stopped crying, and a few from Mori Kuroo as well, saying he would drop by and take a look at the place whenever the opportunity arose. This, along with Suguru’s surprising offers of comfort, was enough to make Kuroo pleasantly drowsy, and he curled up under the warm fleece covers he took along, taking in the large bedroom until his eyes fell closed. With the positioning of the mattress, it almost felt like Kuroo was in _Suguru’s_ old apartment, subconsciously listening to the alpha breathe as he slept soundly, satisfied from a night of accidental passion and pleasure. If he listened close enough, Tetsurou could hear Suguru moving around on the couch, probably trying to find a good position to sleep in. Although they weren’t sleeping together, or even in the same room, Kuroo felt accomplished that they were at least in the same apartment without throwing things and having screaming matches. That would come later, but for now, Kuroo was happy. They were in a new apartment, with new decorations, a new and convenient location, new furniture, starting an entirely new relationship. A shiver coursed down Tetsurou’s spine when he remembered how he woke-up next to Suguru thinking he had been taken advantage of by some stranger…

 

 _Yeah,_ the omega thought quietly _. Things definitely could have turned out worse._

~~~-~~~

The first week of living together went by fast, and there wasn’t much room for interior decorating arguments, much less, time to sort out all their boxes. What with Kuroo’s work schedule being stuffed because of another employee’s illness, along with class, dinner at Bokuto’s and, let’s not forget, _pregnancy_ , by the end of the week he was feeling pretty exhausted and depressed. Halloween was coming up, and as much as the journalist loved Halloween, he really didn’t think he was up for any parties this year. Bokuto was disappointed, but Kuroo assured him he would have a lot more fun showing Akaashi off as Wonder Woman than showing off his best friend as a Playboy bunny. The café had been busy as hell all day, and finally, after three spills, two machine breaks and burnt cinnamon rolls, Tetsurou’s shift was over. Too tired for walking, he caught a bus home and had never been more thankful for the elevator in their new building; _what a fucking day_ , Kuroo thought tiredly, leaning against the wall as the elevator music just about lulled him to sleep. _I need a long ass bath and some Good Doctor. Hopefully Suguru won’t be hogging the TV…_

Upon entering the apartment, Kuroo was a little surprised to already find Daishou home, as he usually arrived a few minutes after the omega from wherever he went during the day. Suguru was sitting at the round table with a plate of food and one of his many parenting books opened next to it—he literally had three separate stacks of differently categorized parenting and pregnancy books sitting in the living room, and every night before he went to bed, he read a portion from each one. It was both comforting and amusing to Kuroo.

“Evening, reaper.” Tetsurou greeted in a deep exhale, leaving his coat on as he collapsed at the chair across from Suguru.

“I thought I told you not to call me that,” Daishou frowned, glancing up from his book.

“Well you dislike the Harry Potter references, so I’m sticking with Goblin references. Take it or leave it,” Kuroo tiredly joked, eyeing the food on Suguru’s plate. “What’d you make?”

“Some curry and fish. Help yourself.”

“Ah, I knew I kept you around for _something_ , Daishou-chan.”

The alpha frowned again, taking a bite of his food and returning to the page he was on as Kuroo retrieved his dinner from the kitchen, turning on _Good Doctor_ before plopping down again. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both too out of it to really start a riveting conversation—only when a commercial break came on did Tetsurou look back at Suguru, taking note of his fancy clothing, as if he attended a dinner or something earlier in the day. A midnight blue blazer covered a plain white shirt, along with a pair of matching pants that probably made his ass look good, and a pair of white oxfords sat in the hallway. How much did that outfit cost, Kuroo wondered?

“Where were you all day, chaebol?” He asked curiously.

“Work.”

The alpha jumped when the sound of a fork clattering against a plate erupted through the apartment. Tetsurou was staring at him in shock, like he didn’t believe what he just heard, repeating the answer over several times before he could speak again.

“You… _work_?” Tetsurou gaped.

“I got a job as a receptionist,” Suguru admitted in a grumble, ducking his head again. “ _Don’t_ laugh.”

“Why would I laugh? I work at a café. It’s just interesting, considering you must have bought that outfit before you got a job, given the out of date style that jacket is.”

“What do _you_ know about fashion?”

“Hey, don’t get me wrong, Suguru-chan, it doesn’t look half bad on you.” Kuroo winked playfully. “How much do you get paid, exactly?”

“Thirteen dollars an hour.”

“YOU MAKE MORE THAN ME?!!!!! You little shit!”

“You asked!!!”

“ _Jeez_ , Suguru, do you really have to out-do me in everything just because Nekoma won?” The omega groaned, picking his fork back up.

“Shut up,” Daishou mumbled, closing his book. “I just thought it would be nice to make some extra money; I have enough to support us for at least ten-years…after tha—”

“Ten _years_? You really think we’ll be able to survive with each other for that long?! What if you turn our child into an emotionally inept psychopath and he murders us in our sleep at age six?!”

“What?!”

Kuroo laughed over his bite at Suguru’s stupid expression, hoping it hid how impressed he actually was over Daishou getting a job. Who would’ve thought the self-centered rich boy would “stoop so low”? He must really care about their child already…

“In all seriousness, though, Daishou-chan,” Tetsurou started, pointing his fork at the other. “What does the future hold for us? Bickering like divorcees? Banging like mated couples? Cooperation resulting in the success of our child, but the failure of our own?”

The alpha didn’t miss a beat, looking up at Kuroo as he answered.

“I wouldn’t consider my life a failure if my child grew-up happy and healthy.”

Tetsurou hummed thoughtfully, hiding a smile behind his bite of food as they reflected on the question; Suguru picked at his plate for a moment, trying to picture a different scenario where he and Kuroo were previously in a relationship during the pregnancy. Things would certainly be drastically different. Suguru probably would have asked the journalist to marry him, and then his dad would have been really mad, and being bound spiritually would probably cause them to officially bond through bite, and then...then they would _really_ be stuck with each other. At least until the day came where they were so sick of each other Kuroo filed for divorce, leaving the poor kid stuck in the middle…no. Daishou definitely didn’t want that.

“I…I can’t say that I hate you like I did in high school,” The chaebol began lowly. “I can’t deny what I felt that night, either. I’m sure it’s not the same for you, Kuroo, but I wouldn’t be opposed to getting to know you better in the future. I don’t wanna be those stupid kids who panic, get married and bond because of the baby, only to get divorced two-years later because they were never right for each other in the first place.”

“Me either,” Kuroo agreed, hanging onto Suguru’s every word. “So…we’ll just…see what happens, then? Between us?”

“Yeah,” Daishou nodded, going so far as to smile at the omega. “I like that idea.”

“Gotta be honest, Suguru-chan…I’m shocked at your maturity level. Has your character actually developed that much since high school?”

“Of course, dumbass, that was over three-years ago.” _There’s the snake I know and love!_ “Has yours, kitty-chan?”

“Yeah. If this happened in high school, I never would have told you like I did now.”

Suguru paused his retort, staring at Kuroo incredulously.

“You…you wouldn’t… _why_?” He asked, earning a disbelieving expression from Tetsurou.

 

“Because you never would have agreed to help.”

 

At first, the shorter male was stunned by Kuroo’s words, but it didn’t take long for him to really consider its meaning, recalling he and Kuroo’s immature battles of words in high school, how they tormented and egged each other on, insulting and uselessly cursing each other on the volleyball court. Suguru started most of those arguments and confrontations, truthfully, and those memories suddenly seemed shameful. _How can I ever raise a child when I act like such a vapid moron?_ The snake realized. _To think, if this happened in high school, I wouldn’t be a part of my child’s life…that’s so scary to imagine._

“You’re right,” Daishou nodded, staring down at his plate. “So…let’s be glad this happened when it did, hm?”

Suguru was starting a nasty habit of making Tetsurou speechless. Luckily, before the alpha could notice, Kuroo’s phone started ringing, signaling a call from Akaashi.

“Sorry,” He said, standing up from the table. “It’s Akaashi—I wanted to talk to him about some omega stuff.”

“It’s fine. Are you done eating?”

“Hell no, dude, I’m eating for _two_ , now!”

Kuroo hurried off into the bedroom, throwing himself onto the mattress before accepting the call, listening to Bokuto tickling Kiyoko in the background before Akaashi realized he answered.

“ _Good evening, Kuroo-san_.”

“What’s up, Kaashi-kun? Sounds like you guys are having fun without me.”

“ _I figured I would call you while the children are occupied_ ,” Akaashi sighed. The giggles faded, and a door shut. “ _Are you free right now?_ ”

“Free as I’ll ever be. Hey, can I ask you a question right off the bat?”

“ _Go ahead_.”

“Is it true that during male pregnancies, their nipples grow so much they almost look like breasts?”

For some reason Akaashi sighed again, leaving Kuroo in anxious anticipation as he held a pillow to his chest; he thought his chest was one of the most attractive physical parts about his body, so he wasn’t too keen on getting man boobs, even if they would help him feed the baby.

“ _Yes, their size does grow a bit during pregnancy_.” Keiji confirmed, holding the phone away from his head when Kuroo wailed on the other end.

“Oh my _god_ …that’s terrible news! Quick—tell me all the good stuff about pregnancy, Akaashi!”

“ _You want me to throw all the information at you instead of telling it in order?”_

“Yes!”

“ _Whatever you say, Kuroo-san_ ,” The omega replied. “ _Well…one thing I enjoyed was the cravings. You almost lose your mind not having what you want, but once you get it, it’s a very satisfying feeling_.”

“Ahhh, I see…”

“ _There’s the obvious feeling of euphoria when you experience your baby kicking for the first time, or when you find out the gender, if you choose to do so_.”

“Did you do that with Kiyoko?”

“ _No—I wanted it to be a surprise the first time_ ,” Akaashi recalled in a hum. “ _If I ever have another child, though, I think I’ll want to know. How have you been feeling so far?”_

“Eh. Good days and bad days,” Tetsurou shrugged, instinctively touching his stomach. “Certain smells or tastes set me off. Will I ever be able to eat the foods I’ve thrown-up ever again?”

“ _Depends on the person, I think…I know I’ll never be able to eat seaweed wraps ever again_.”

“Uh, yeah, cus’ seaweed wraps are disgusting.”

“ _Anyway…the back and pelvic pains started for me during the third month_ ,” Keiji continued. “ _Those gradually get longer throughout the pregnancy, but hot water bottles or heating pads can help dull the pain. How much do you know about male pregnancies?_ ”

“A hell of a lot more than Bokuto, that’s for sure!” Kuroo cackled. His stomach made a weird noise, probably angry that it hadn’t been filled to the brim yet.

“ _Good. Well, male pregnancies differ because of anatomy, obviously, but the main difference lies in the baby’s positioning. In female omegas, the larger their stomach becomes, the further their lower abdominal muscles stretch; I think you’re aware that male omegas still have penises (unlike my dear boyfriend), so those muscles don’t stretch as much as a females because of the obstruction_.”

“I’ll say—if it weren’t for that obstruction, I wouldn’t be in this mess!”

“ _Right_ ,” Akaashi agreed. “ _What I’m trying to say is that your stomach won’t sit so low as it would if you were a female omega. I’ll tell you this now as a mental warning: since your stomach would protrude further up instead of down, there’s a chance you’ll look… **bigger** than you actually are_.”

Of course Kuroo had thought about what kinds of insecurities he might have later on in the pregnancy, but hearing it from someone else kinda put everything in stone. Who would he turn to if those feelings became too much to bear?

“I see,” He replied blankly, fiddling with a pillowcase. “So…did you…did you feel that way when you had Kiyoko?”

“ _Yeah_ ,” Keiji admitted openly. “ _I was even thinner in high school than I am now, so it was pretty rough, seeing myself like that. I didn’t have Bokuto, or anyone else, really, so I almost developed a fear of mirrors and went through ridiculous measures to avoid seeing myself in any reflection_.”

“But…But it’s always worth the trouble, right?” Tetsurou desperately tried to confirm. “Do you forget about all of that as soon as the baby is b—”

Another voice came through the phone, and Kuroo recognized it as Kiyoko’s musical tone.

_“What is it, Kiyoko?”_

_“Bokuto-san wants to know if we can order dinner.”_

_“That’s fine, dear. Order whatever you two want.”_

_“Bokuto-san said to get whatever you want.”_

_“Well, I want what you want—Mommy’s on the phone, so could you tell Bokuto-san to keep his voice down?”_

_“Okay.”_

A door shut again, and Kuroo could only listen with an open heart as Keiji picked-up right where they left off.

“ _Yes, Kuroo-san_ ,” Akaashi said honestly. “ _It’s always worth it_.”

“Hey, your food is getting—”

Suguru shut his mouth when he saw that Tetsurou was on the phone, hovering in the doorway awkwardly.

“This was a good start; we’ll talk more later, yeah?” Kuroo said to Akaashi.

“ _Whenever you want, Kuroo-san_.”

“Thanks a ton, ‘Kaashi—say hi to Kiyoko and Bokuto for me!”

“ _Will do. Have a good night_.”

“See you later.”

Kuroo tossed his phone onto the bed and lazily turned to Suguru, purposely laying in a seductive pose as way of making the snake blush. It was just so funny seeing his cheeks get all red!

“Paint me like one of your Fr—”

“Do _not_ finish that sentence.”

“What was so important that you had to interrupt me?”

“I just wanted to tell you your food was getting cold,” Daishou answered, though he seemed like something else was on his mind.

“Well, you’re my roommate—would you mind heating it up for me? Thanks.”

Suguru glared at him darkly, but still didn’t budge from his spot in the doorway. Kuroo laid there for a few seconds, just thinking about what Akaashi said before his thoughts were interrupted once more.

“I think we should scent each other.”

Tetsurou blinked once, realizing Daishou was the one who had spoken.

“…Um… _what_ , Suguru?”

“The books all say scenting is a good way to comfort and relax pregnant omegas,” The chaebol explained, rubbing the back of his head. And there came the cute little blush on his freckled cheeks. “I…I think it would be… _helpful_.”

“Yeah...gunna have to shoot you a no on that one, snake-chan.”

“What? Why?”

“What do you mean, ‘why’?” Kuroo laughed loudly, pulling himself off the bed to walk over. “That’s the most awkward thing I’ve ever heard!”

“And sleeping with your enemy wasn’t awkward?” Suguru fought back.

“No—getting pregnant by my enemy? Yeah, that was a little awkward. But the sex part wasn’t too bad.”

“It’s not that big of deal, Kuroo—all you have to do is sit there and let me scent you. It’s over in a minute or two, so don’t be such a big baby.”

“ _I’m_ not being a big baby; _you’re_ the—the…one…”

A familiar wave of nausea hit Kuroo’s stomach like a race car, stopping his words and taking his breath away immediately.

“Um…Kuroo?” Daishou questioned in concern, seeing the drastic change in skin color take over the omega’s cheeks. “Are you okay?”

“ _Move_.”

“Huh?”

“Move, _please_ ,” Kuroo forced out, latching onto his stomach before hurrying out of the bedroom and rushing into the bathroom across the hall. His mouth was watering terribly, dripping as soon as he lost strength to keep his lips closed; hardly a second after he sunk to his knees in front of the toilet (thank goodness for Daishou’s stupid habit of keeping the seat up), his guts lurched, sending their contents shooting upwards and exiting through Tetsurou’s gaping mouth just as Suguru hurried inside. The omega vomited violently, abdomen spasming painfully through every lurch, eyes watering from his gag reflex being roughly triggered every few seconds. At first, Suguru had no fucking clue what to do, but instinct finally set in when Kuroo’s agitated scent hit his senses; he kneeled down beside the coughing college student quietly, immediately putting a hand on his back to steady the other’s trembling body. Tetsurou continued gagging and struggling for a few minutes, gasping for air whenever he had the chance, only for another wave of sickness to attack full force and steal all the breath from his lungs—Suguru didn’t know if he was helping by rubbing his back or not, only getting a reaction when he calmly began scenting the sick omega.

Tetsurou’s body almost collapsed from the sudden relief, muscles weakening from both the stress and the intoxicating sensation of warmth overwhelming his anxiety, like someone had thrown a fluffy blanket over him. He almost thought he had gone into hallucination mode, taking him back to that night in Suguru’s bed, when they cried out for each other as their scents clashed in a fit of passion…only when the final wave of sickness ended did Kuroo realize what was happening. He was too tired to fight it, and allowed himself to be swept away, stomach finally calming down after emptying all its contents. Suguru’s scent smelled like fresh air today, a welcomed scent compared to the fish and curry half-digested in the toilet…Tetsurou felt pathetic, not because he had just thrown-up in front of his arch enemy, but because he was such a sucker for this bastard’s scent.

“Sorry,” Kuroo mumbled through moist lips, limply lying his head on the edge of the toilet.

“For what, laying on the toilet seat like a sicko?” Suguru joked lightly, slowly, pulling Kuroo away. He began gently wiping the omega’s face with a wet rag that appeared out of nowhere, making sure there was no remaining drops of bile anywhere that might trigger another vomiting session. “…What set it off?”

“Must’ve been the fish,” Tetsurou sniffled, feeling absolutely miserable. “Guess I won’t be eating those leftovers…”

Daishou was content to let Kuroo’s hot body lean against him, just trying to focus on his breathing for a minute or two; all the while, he continued to scent the journalist, doing his best despite not having much experience in this category. Mika always begged him for scenting sessions, but back then it felt like too much of a commitment, and kind of useless—why use that energy on intimacy when he could be using it to play volleyball? Now, however, there was a bit more at stake, and Suguru was happy to help in any way he could. The journalist didn’t resist, totally limp as he laid on Daishou’s folded legs like a child, nerves slowly relaxing second by second.

“I can’t believe I’m going to be a parent,” Kuroo said suddenly, gathering Suguru’s attention. “It’s just…so sudden. When I was talking with Akaashi…it finally hit me that I’m going to be the person responsible for this little baby.” He took a deep, trembling breath. “It’s fucking terrifying, you know?”

“Yeah,” Daishou admitted, voice shaking ever-so-slightly. “Knowing I’m going to be the person who shapes their future and is responsible for how they see the world early on in life…I can’t…i-it’s almost too much. Honestly, when I think about it, I really want to burst into tears.”

“Me too.”

The boys didn’t notice how in-tune their heartbeats were, despite being pressed-up against each other on the bathroom floor. They were quiet for a moment, caught in their own fears and worries.

“Hey…Daishou-chan.”

“Yeah?”

“What’s your favorite song?” Kuroo asked curiously.

“Eager to know me, are you?”

“I’d kind of like to know what I’ve gotten myself into. My favorite right now is ‘ _Spring Day_ ’ by BTS.”

“You and your Korean kink…” The chaebol shook his head. “I guess my favorite right now is anything from Baby Metal.”

“You listen to heavy metal, _rich boy_?” Tetsurou snorted, peering up at him with amusement.

“I have good taste.”

“I guess that’s a compliment to me.”

Kuroo grinned when his response made Suguru blush like crazy. He really was a handsome little virgin, wasn’t he? The omega kinda wanted to ask if the snake thought he was handsome, too, but decided against it—maybe the scenting was making him all cuddly and sensitive. Not that he wouldn’t admit Suguru was cute, because he was, but…

“You feel better? Can you stand, or should I carry you?”

“Don’t make me even more humiliated, Suguru.” The black-haired omega groaned, pulling himself up as the heavy scent of Suguru stuck with him. “Just catch me if I pass-out, okay?”

“Stubborn cat…” Daishou mumbled. He helped Kuroo into bed, none the less, helping him pull the covers up while the boy mumbled something about wanting to finish his episode. A nap was needed more, however, as proven by how quickly those hazel eyes fluttered shut when Kuroo’s head hit the pillow. A weird, protective emotion passed through Daishou’s chest when he watched Tetsurou effortlessly fall asleep, still smelling like the alpha—he had a sudden urge to lay over the journalist, to make sure no nightmares woke him up, to make sure he was strong enough to run to the toilet if he became sick again. He wanted to say it was a side-effect of scenting, but deep down, Daishou knew he could only feel that way if he had some kind of romantic connection with Kuroo. Out of spite for this realization, the rich boy grumbled something to Tetsurou as he napped.

 

“Told you scenting helps.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new year more like noob year ha
> 
> I really love Kuroo's dad he's just so nice. Daishou's dad is cool, too, so don't go hatin; things will start to really pick-up in the next few chapters or so, what with hormones kicking in, baby bumps growing, Christmas and birthday parties, and, you know...sexual tension...hehe.  
> Have a good day, and thanks for reading!  
> Love,  
> Bodhi


	3. "snowflakes are falling, getting further away"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo's birthday bash, "hormones," and Suguru kicking some grocery store ass

_Snowflakes are falling_

_Getting farther away_

_I miss you (I miss you)_

_I miss you (I miss you)_

_How much more do I have to wait?_

_How many more nights do I have to stay up?_

_Until I can see you? (until I can see you?)_

_Until I can meet you? (until I can meet you?)_

 

_November_

Suguru and Kuroo had finally gotten themselves settled into their new apartment come the beginning of November. It was starting to get cold out, threats of snow and frost repeated on the weather channels, unfortunately coming through and leaving ice patches everywhere; Daishou had the honor of returning to the doctor’s office with Kuroo, sitting with their assigned doctor who specialized in male pregnancies and listening as she explained the sequence of events that would lead to their child being born sometime next spring. It was difficult for their team to determine exactly how far along Tetsurou was at first, but apparently a chart of numbers and measurements told the nurses all they needed, because they said the omega was approximately just beginning his third month of pregnancy, right in the midst of his first trimester (whatever that meant.) Once Suguru made sure everything was okay, he went out and bought a dozen books on male omega pregnancies, because sitting in that office not understanding a word the doctor or nurses said was as frustrating as it was frightening. To think he knew so little about omegas, but managed to get one pregnant…

Today was a slow day at work for Daishou, so he flipped open one of the books and began reading where he left off, leaning over his desk as silence rang throughout the office workplace.

_In the case of male omega pregnancies, their chosen alpha (whether male or female) will immediately feel a strong sense of protection and duty to their mate and unborn child; their scent may go through changes just as the male omega’s will the further along the pregnancy goes. Omegas will begin to take on their child’s future scent as part of their own, which can cause dizziness and confusion much like when an omega is first scented by their alpha. While the sensation can be alarming, it rarely ever indicates that something is wrong with the child (some omegas fear this change in scent is an alarm being sent out from the child’s instincts) and acts as a natural part of the male pregnancy experience. Females are prone to more change in their sense of touch than scent. Furthermore, for male omegas it is important to remember the complications that could arise, and if the omega senses something off about their child’s forming scent, it doesn’t do any harm in checking with your doctor. If your male omega is still anxious after getting confirmation that the child is safe, scenting is a good method of calming your mate down._

“What are you reading, Suguru-kun?”

Daishou threw his forearms over the pages and glanced up, hurriedly trying to find an excuse. If only he read these books _before_ this point in time, before he managed to get an omega pregnant…

“Uhh…just—how to clean your luxury vehicle.” Suguru forced out.

“Ooo! Neat!”

The chaebol hid his book until he was sure no one else would bother him for a few minutes, slipping it underneath the desk so there might be a less possible chance of someone catching sight of its contents and throwing out questions about who he knocked-up. _Dad would sure love that_ , Suguru huffed. _But I wish this book would tell me how to calm Kuroo down as an un-bonded couple…I mean, he let me do it once, but I bet he’ll put up a fight every other time; little brat. Is it so bad to want him to be comfortable?_

“Better see what kitty-chan is up to,” Daishou mumbled to himself, grabbing the phone and dialing Kuroo’s number. “Who knows what kind of procrastination he’s pulling today.”

The phone rang a few times before Tetsurou picked-up, Korean music playing in the background at an obnoxious level.

“ _Hellllo?_ ”

“Hey. Did you get your homework done?”

“… _Dad? Is that you? Your voice sounds nasally!”_

“It’s Suguru, you dumbass,” Daishou cursed, rolling his eyes even though Kuroo couldn’t see him. “Can’t you recognize my voice?”

“ _Of course, snake-chan! You did yell my name out several times when you were poundin_ —”

“Would you shut-up about that already? I just called to ask what you’re doing.”

There was a short pause, hardly long enough to be noticed by anyone else, but enough where Suguru noticed and immediately became suspicious about Kuroo’s reply.

“ _Just reading for class_ ,” Tetsurou answered casually. The Korean music was turned down a few notches. “ _Shouldn’t you be, like…working? Answering phone calls or whatever?_ ”

“It’s slow today. I’m reading some books on omega pregnancy,” Daishou admitted, lowering his voice so no passerbyer heard. “Are you feeling okay?”

“ _Managed to keep my lunch down, so I guess I’m functioning. Although I can feel my stomach starting to stretch, so that’s pretty freaky—hey. Do you have a pregnancy kink, Suguru-chan?_ ”

“I—I—I-I…”

The alpha meant to tell Kuroo off, but suddenly couldn’t get the image of a very pregnant naked omega out of his head.

“ _Hahaha!!! You totally do! Oh my god, Suguru, you’re so thirsty for me!_ ”

“N-No!” Suguru cried, forgetting he was at the office. “I’m not thirsty for you, bastard!”

“ _Daishou and Kuroo, sittin in a tree, f-u-c-k-i-n-g!_ ”

“Shut up!”

“ _Ahahahahaa…thanks for the laugh, Daishou, I owe you one. Will you pick some food up on your way home? I’m in the mood for burgers_.”

“Fine.”

“ _Good boy_ ,” Tetsurou praised. “ _Oh wait…did that trigger another kink, too?_ ”

Suguru slammed the phone down, cheeks burning hot as his regret for getting his worst enemy pregnant intensified. Sometimes he wondered if he should even bother checking up on Kuroo; he seemed to do just fine on his own, calling Bokuto or Akaashi whenever he wanted someone to talk to…of course, it was very early on in the pregnancy, so whether the omega liked it or not he might have to depend on Suguru for _something_ eventually. Daishou felt pretty useless right now, but he just had to keep reminding himself that he was supplying his—the omega—a stable living environment where he could safely and comfortably roam while taking care of the baby. Yeah, it would be nice if Kuroo was open enough to tell Suguru about what he was feeling, but for now, the alpha would just have to be patient. When Tetsurou needed him most, he would be there, even if it meant more personal attacks on his sexual preferences.

As promised, Daishou picked up some burgers on the way home, body finally releasing its tension during the long elevator ride up; he hadn’t spoken to his father since _that_ day, and although he called his mother frequently, she kept continually suggesting they both apologize and make-up. Suguru kept making up the excuse that he and Kuroo were too busy for a visit, and while that wasn’t a total lie, he milked it out a bit because he really didn’t want to have another conversation about maturity or money with Daisuke. There were more important tasks at hand, like making sure his—making sure _Tetsurou_ was healthy and happy.

 _I hope I never make that mistake out-loud_ , Suguru shivered, fearing what Kuroo would do to him if he ever accidentally called the journalist his omega. _Bokuto will knock my precious teeth out. I need my teeth—you can’t do business with a broken smile._

“I’m home,” The chaebol announced tiredly as he shut the door, walking into the kitchen. That still unfamiliar rush of Kuroo’s scent hit his senses hard, forcing him to swallow before continuing. “Here’s yo—”

Daishou stopped upon catching sight of a teary-eyed Kuroo sitting on the couch curled under a blanket as the final credits of a movie played on the TV screen. He would have been alarmed, but Bokuto had already warned him about Tetsurou’s emotional tendencies when it came to movies. In other words, the journalist was a sucker for a good love story. It seemed he found an effective one today, as his hazel eyes stinging with pinkness around the eyelids, white section marred by blood vessels and cheeks painted red, telling Suguru he had been at it for a while, now. Maybe this was what he had been up to when the alpha called earlier.

“Um…you okay?” Daishou asked awkwardly, taking off his jacket.

“ _Peachy_ ,” Kuroo sniffled while wiping at his eyes. “Just peachy, Suguru.”

“What were you watching now? That depressing doctor show again?”

“For your information, Lord Voldemort, I was watching _Always_ ,” The omega retorted, pausing the movie and its uplifting last song. “It’s a very heartfelt and shocking Korean romance movie, so gimme a break!”

“Whatever. I brought your food—come eat before it gets cold.”

Kuroo relented and sniffled his way over to the table, sitting across from Suguru as the latter unwrapped his burger quietly, eyebrows scrunched together. He watched as the omega devoured his burger like the baby’s life depended on it (which, technically, it did), sneaking a few of Daishou’s fries in the process. When was this silence going to end between them?

“So…what did you do today?” Suguru asked, glancing up at Kuroo. “Cry over more foreign movies?”

“You’ll be proud to know I only did that _once_ today, Daishou-chan,” The black-haired boy smiled over his bite, cheeks sticking out ever-so-slightly. Suguru hadn’t noticed any signs of weight gain in the omega, yet, which was a good thing, because he was not looking forward to being asked ‘does this make me look fat’ every morning before Kuroo went to work or school.

“Alright, well…you sounded busy when I called earlier. What were you doing then?”

“I…did some reading,” Tetsurou answered, swallowing his bite. He seemed to catch onto Suguru’s knowledge, quickly deciding if he should lie again or just spill his guts. “And, um…I…had to pee a lot today. That’s nothing unusual, though, so no need to worry.”

“You weren’t sick or anything?” _Comfort your omega with unassuming questions and respectful replies_. “Morning sickness is supposed to stop once the second trimester comes around.”

“Nah, I didn’t throw-up.” Kuroo shook his head. They promised to open up to each other more, but this felt a little _too_ personal for his liking. Still, maybe on account of his emotional vulnerability after _Always_ , he found himself quietly admitting the truth to Suguru. “I…when you were calling, I was just looking in the mirror, that’s all.”

Daishou stared at Tetsurou for a long moment, fingers wrapped around his glass as he attempted to put two and two together. What had the book said about feelings of physical insecurity again? _While female omegas go through many physical changes during the second and last trimesters, the changes in male omegas usually trigger a type of masculine negativity on the lines of their nipples enlarging (similar to a woman’s breasts), their hips widening, etc. etc. These stereotypical “feminine” characteristics are a great cause of stress for some male omegas, and often they will find themselves comparing their current body to how they looked before pregnancy, longing for their masculinity back._

“It’s natural for your body to change shape during pregnancy, Kuroo.” Daishou attempted loyally. “You don’t have to feel bad about the way you look; I think you look the same as you always do, and I guess that’s good, since I did, you know…sleep with you and everything…”

“Um…what are you…what?” Kuroo laughed, though his eyes were still locked on the confused alpha. “I didn’t mean like that, Suguru—I just mean I’m starting to show, so I was checking things out!”

“You…You are?” The chaebol clarified, eyes slowly widening. “Let me see!”

“Ew, no!”

“What you mean, ‘no’? Show me right now!”

“We’re at the dinner table!” The other resisted. “It’s not polite to show your stomach at the dinner table.”

“Since when do you care about _manners_ , alleycat?” Suguru insulted without malice, hurriedly standing up. “Please show me. Right now.”

“So persistent…” Kuroo mumbled, giving in and pulling himself out of the chair. “Now I know why our volleyball games lasted so long…”

Honestly, Tetsurou noticed his stomach’s change in form a few days ago, but in his denial he chose not to see until the moment came when he stepped out of the shower earlier today and caught sight of himself in the mirror. When Daishou called, he had been standing at the same mirror for a solid fifteen-minutes, just quietly staring and daring to gently touch the forming stretch marks on his tummy. While he felt a little self-conscious now, the omega just reminded himself that Bokuto could beat the hell out of Suguru if he said anything mean.

Very slowly, Kuroo grabbed the bottom hem of his red sweatshirt and pulled upwards, revealing a good portion of his lower stomach, where Suguru was shocked to see a slight difference in shape right over the omega’s abdomen area. The apartment went silent around them as Daishou hesitantly stepped closer, leaning down ever-so-slightly to investigate; from his previous knowledge of Tetsurou’s chiseled stomach, the snake could now confirm that a drastic change had gone underway in the past few weeks. While there was still a trace of muscle stretching across Kuroo’s tummy, most of his abs had been replaced by a small, oval shaped bump forming right between his groin and ribs, pulling the pale skin tight around its form and creating a cute little bump that sat at the top of Kuroo’s sweatpants hem. It was adorably domestic, and Suguru couldn’t help but be in awe, eyes widening with amazement as he began reaching out towards Kuroo’s skin—he stopped himself almost immediately, glancing up for permission with those pleading green eyes.

“Yeah,” Tetsurou answered, his own cat eyes gleaming. “…Go ahead.”

“…Thank you.”

Daishou swallowed one final time before reaching out and gently pressing the palm of his hand over the small bump. Kuroo’s skin was warm compared to his ice cold touch, causing the omega to flinch, but he relaxed after a moment, watching as Suguru softly ran his hand over the swelling figure inside his stomach. To think that he and Kuroo’s child was right here in front of them, waiting to develop and be born on a gentle spring day…was that really possible? How did omegas do it? How did they manage to create life while living their own? To Suguru, the fact of Tetsurou being able to accomplish this and give them such a priceless gift was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. He was glad they forgot the condom that one night. He was glad they happened to find each other at that bench while waiting for a bus. He was glad because something pure and innocent had come from it, and for the first time in his life, Suguru understood what his father said about responsibility—while the feeling is daunting and sometimes downright terrifying, the euphoria that comes from the aftermath outlives the fear by a thousand miles.

“W-Wow,” Daishou breathed, hand beginning to tremble against Kuroo’s flesh as he continued running his fingers along the bump. “It…It’s…”

“Pretty sick, I know.”

“No!!! It’s not sick, you bastard, it’s beautiful!!!”

“Well, yeah, that too, but have you ever slowly watched your stomach change shape over a period of three months?” Tetsurou joked, shooting a smile his way. “Ah…I guess it’s more cool than it is gross.”

“Damn right it is,” Suguru agreed happily, enlightened expression too handsome for Kuroo’s liking. “Does your stomach ache at all?”

“Yeah, sometimes. But I’m not as tired as I was the first couple months.”

“I can’t believe you’re already nearing the end of your first trimester; is this what parenthood is like? Speeding by like a flash of lightening, then the storm’s over and you wish you could have it all back?”

The journalist didn’t have a response to that, so he remained quiet, silently admiring the glimmer in Suguru’s eyes as he fell to his knees so he could see and touch Kuroo’s stomach easier. He kept whispering under his breath, saying how incredible this was, how lucky they were, how it was going to be so great being a parent…the scene was almost enough to fool Tetsurou into thinking they were a real couple. Even though the omega pushed Daishou’s head away when he attempted to kiss the swollen skin, his cheeks were bright red and there was a tiny smile on his lips.

“You did a lot of thinking today,” Kuroo concluded after a while. “You seem…more knowledgeable than I remember.”

“I was reading this book on—”

“Oh god, you and those books!”

Tetsurou pushed his sweatshirt back down and rolled his eyes as he sat back down to finish his burger, leaving Suguru to kneel on the dining room floor all by himself. His euphoria wore off, replaced by that defensiveness Kuroo knew so well from volleyball, a fire lighting in those narrowed snake eyes when he too pulled himself up.

“They’re helpful, okay? I’m just trying to be a prepared parent, and you should be trying, too!” The alpha said, pointing towards the stack of books sitting by the couch.

“I already read those ones.”

“You haven’t even _opened_ them!”

“My dad gave me some when I visited,” Kuroo sighed, stealing more fries from off Suguru’s napkin. “We looked through my mom’s stuff and read all kinds of stuff. Now put a sock in it, Death Eater.”

“Quit calling me that,” Daishou grumbled as he sat back down, pushing the omega’s greedy fingers away. “Parents are supposed to have respect for each other, you know.”

“Hey, I’m not cursing at you today—you should take my Harry Potter references as compliments.”

“Whatever. Just eat your burger, scum.”

“Speaking of scum, Suguru-chan…what are you going to get me for my birthday?”

Daishou nearly choked on his bite, and although he attempted to hide his panic, Kuroo caught his astounded look and grinned; getting Suguru worked-up was becoming one of his favorite past times. Now if only he could find a way to prevent the reaction of Daishou from riling his more… _intimate_ instincts up…they could become a problem in the future, and Kuroo didn’t want Bokuto thinking he was starting a “friends with benefits” type of situation. Things always got blown way out of proportion when Bokuto was involved; he often took rumors to the extreme, and while his dramatic blow-up would be right on point, Kuroo just didn’t want to admit how attracted he was to Suguru. _I should be past that, given how very much pregnant I am,_ the omega thought, watching Daishou struggle for a reply. _Why is it becoming so hard for me to find reasons to dislike this noob?_

“Is…Is it tomorrow?” He asked with great concern, scared for the answer.

“Nope—lucky you. It’s the 17th.”

Daishou hid his sigh behind his glass, although he was mentally calculating how many days that gave him to somehow procure a gift good enough to make Kuroo so happy it may give him a bit of credit for whenever he messed-up next. So far, Tetsurou had been easy to live with, but Suguru read that the further into the pregnancy he became, the greater his hormones become. Kuroo was unpredictable enough as a regular person, and now that he was a _pregnant omega_? Yeah. Suguru both respected and feared his capabilities.

“Don’t worry, snake-chan, you have plenty of time to shop for me; I’ll let you think it over while I run to the bathroom quick.”

Daishou sat glued to his seat as Kuroo brushed past him, hurrying to the bathroom and slamming the door shut, immediately pulling up his sweatshirt all the way up to his neck. Just as he suspected—Tetsurou’s nipples were red and rubbed raw from the fabric, apparently becoming more sensitive to certain touches just as those stupid books predicted. There was also a rash forming near Kuroo’s neck, the collar itching against it often enough where red marks had started forming like some kind of disease; horrified, Kuroo immediately began searching through Suguru’s side of the bathroom cabinet for any type of fancy lotion that would help soothe the stinging, managing to be quiet until he knocked over an entire row of face creams, crashing to the tile flooring loudly and making the journalist cringe. _Please don’t let Suguru hear, please don’t let Suguru hear!_ Tetsurou begged, hurriedly trying to pick the mess up while keeping his sweatshirt off the infected area. _I can’t let the Death Eater see me like this!_

Luckily for Kuroo, Daishou had his own problem to solve in the dining room concerning his roommate’s birthday coming up in a matter of weeks; he had no gift ideas come to mind, and this sent the chaebol into an immediate panic. In this panic he grabbed his phone and dialed the number of the one person who might be able to help him—Kuroo’s best friend, Bokuto Koutarou. Whether or not he would help him was debatable, but Tetsurou said Bokuto was now friends with him by association, so that counted for something, right?

_“Oya oya? Could the famous chaebol himself be calling me, his faithful servant, after all this time?”_

“This is serious, Bokuto!” Daishou hissed into the phone, sneaking a look at the bathroom to make sure Kuroo hadn’t come out yet. “What should I get Kuroo for his birthday?!”

 _“Pf. I don’t know! What does he need?”_ Koutarou huffed uselessly.

“I-I don’t _know_ , that’s why I called _you_ , airhead!”

_“Hey now, no need to be name calling, Suguru-chan! Just chill. You’ve got weeks to figure this out, you know.”_

“I have to get him something better than what anyone else will get him,” Daishou said stressfully, rubbing at his temple. “What did you get him?!”

_“Umm…I think Akaashi got him a gift card for that ramen place he likes, Kiyoko drew him a picture and I got him what I always get him.”_

“What do you always get him?”

 _“Friendship accessories!”_ Bokuto said cheerfully. Suguru wanted to slap his forehead but had no empty hands remaining, the other tangled in his own hair. _“Last year I got him a mug that says ‘world’s best omega friend,’ the year before that I got him a sweatshirt that says ‘I’m with stupid,’ and this year I had my grandma make a quilt with a bunch of pictures of us on it, and the other side is made of fuzzy red fleece! Isn’t that cool? Kuroo gets cold easily, especially when it snows out, he thinks it’s like, way colder than it actually is, so I thought he would enjoy…”_

Suguru zoned the other alpha’s ramblings out after he heard what Bokuto would be giving Kuroo this year for his twenty-first birthday. A homemade quilt with red fleece and pictures of friendship? How in the living hell was Daishou supposed to compete with that?! Nothing beat quilts! Nothing! No amount of money in the world could suddenly make Suguru talented at sewing and designing, at least not talented enough where he could out-do Bokuto’s grandmother, who had probably known Kuroo way longer than he had, anyway…this day was quickly turning into a living nightmare. Tetsurou would exit the bathroom any minute, now, and this stupid owl man wasn’t helping in the slightest—

 _“…And I figured he could use some comforting, what with what happened at campus the other day,”_ Bokuto continued, re-capturing the chaebol’s attention. _“I really don’t know why peo—”_

“What? What happened at campus?” Daishou interrupted, body going still. “Something happened to Kuroo?”

_“Eh? He didn’t tell you?”_

“Tell me _what_ , Bokuto?”

 _“Oh, well…it’s nothing too bad, just…”_ Koutarou paused for a second, collecting his story from a few days earlier. _“Some kids from his class were giving him hell the other day. You can tell he’s pregnant now, you know, with his scent and the little belly and stuff, so they were messing with him, making fun of him and shit. I set em straight, though, so you don’t have to worry about beating them up—not that a fancy boy like you could, hehe.”_

The jab at Suguru’s masculinity went unheard by the alpha, mind blank after hearing Bokuto’s story. People were making fun of Kuroo at class? And Kuroo didn’t _tell him_ about it? Why? If people were going after the mother of his child, Suguru wanted to know. That was him being mature and wanting to stand-up for his family. Instead, Bokuto, the crazy-haired godfather burnt off the family tree had been the one to defend Kuroo’s honor before Suguru even heard about the incident. People most likely knew about their situation now (not that it was any of their business), and honestly Daishou was surprised no one from the unplanned pregnancy therapy group in human resources had chatted him up, yet. No one at the business side of campus dared insult or mock Daishou to his face, either holding too much respect for his father’s accomplishments or fearing what the team of lawyers would do if they spat out a few slurs here and there—but…why didn’t Kuroo tell him about what he was going through?

_“Um…Salazar? You still there?”_

“Yeah,” Daishou answered blankly. “I…I gotta go. Thanks.”

_“See you later, Suguru!”_

Just as the alpha took his phone away from his ear, Kuroo exited the bathroom (with an unidentified lotion and band-aids hidden on the skin beneath his sweatshirt), releasing a quick breath as he headed back to the table, eyeing Daishou curiously while trying to keep his “breast crisis” secret.

“Who called? Your mom?” Tetsurou asked innocently, picking his burger up again. Suguru said nothing, and the omega glanced over to find those green snake eyes staring at him intently, thin lips drawn in a stern straight line. _Crap. Can he smell the lotion from over there? I knew I put too much on!_ “Uhh…you okay? Are you gunna finish your fries?”

“Why didn’t you tell me about those punks?” Suguru asked helplessly, startling the other into a frozen position. He only ever heard the snake desperate when they were in bed, so this was another new side that almost triggered a wave of horniness Kuroo found most un-welcome.

“…You’ll have to be more specific, Dai-chan.”

“The punks who harassed you on campus—Bokuto told me they were making fun of you at class the other day. Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“That little weasel,” Tetsurou mumbled under his breath. “What business does he have telling people about my personal problems?!”

“ _Kuroo_.”

The black-haired boy glanced up again, watching as a dejected and slightly pissed-off Suguru came over to the table so he was standing in front of Kuroo; his expression was serious, his scent more bitter than before as he stared down intently. If Tetsurou knew any better, he’d say Suguru was trying to be protective or something—he did threaten to kill anyone who harmed Kuroo or their child, but the omega figured that was a bluff. He re-thought this doubt when he saw how intense Suguru’s expression and words were.

“Now I have two problems on hand,” Daishou said quietly, breaking the silence. “What to get you for your birthday and what to do about people being rude to you…”

“Suguru, it’s really not that big of a deal,” Kuroo down-sized, putting his hands up defensively. “Bokuto and I handled it fine—they were just some punks who think it’s funny that I got pregnant by Japan’s wealthiest chaebol. No big deal.”

“What did they say?”

“Suguru, I just said it doesn’t ma—”

 _“_ What _._ did _._ they _.say?”_

Daishou’s growl surprised Kuroo by triggering such a quick, instinctual reaction from him, words spilling out before he could filter and downsize the conversation.

“They—just…the usual, you know. Where they’re trying to be your friend but they’re actually insulting you straight to your face,” Tetsurou shrugged, unable to look away from Suguru’s dark eyes. “Um…stuff like ‘you only open those legs for rich punks?’ and ‘lucky you, getting to live off Japan’s richest charity supplier.’ Just stupid shit like that.”

Kuroo was used to making Suguru mad, but he was certain he had never seen such an infuriated look on the alpha before, the fury from losing to Nekoma in volleyball not even remotely close to this expression. Every shade seemed to darken by three levels, green turning brown, cheeks turning pink, lips turning red, like a snake salivating while catching sight of its next prey—in some ways, Kuroo thought that was accurate, given how overwhelmingly aggressive Daishou’s scent had turned. Before Suguru could storm out and chase after those who wronged the mother of his child, the alpha surprised Tetsurou by speaking calmly and softly, emotions altering to match the current situation.

“Kuroo,” He addressed, lips barely moving. “I want you to tell me about these things when they happen. Please. I…I want you to know you can come to me with your problems—and if something ever happens with me, I’ll tell you right away. I care about you and the baby, so _please_ …please tell me everything. Okay?”

Guilt washed over the omega in a powerful wave, something he had never felt towards Daishou before. When he refrained from giving out the sob story of the campus bullies to Suguru, Kuroo thought of it as not bothering the already stressed chaebol with more useless things to worry about; even now, he sometimes forgot they weren’t in high school anymore, that he and Suguru were no longer enemies but co-parents. They needed to be as open with each other on a daily basis as they had been that night on which their child was conceived. They needed to get to know one another, as Daishou said, as well as possible before the baby arrived and the war of heaven and hell began. Their new relationship started with Kuroo opening up about those who insulted his current situation.

“I—…thanks, Suguru-chan,” Tetsurou replied slowly, lowering his head. “Sorry if I, you know…made you feel left out. I really didn’t mean to, I’m just not used to sharing private information with my arch enemy, you know?”

“I know. But…I want to protect you and the baby, even if we’re not as close as two people expecting a child together should be, you know?” Daishou continued in a frighteningly gentle voice, finger pointing at Kuroo’s stomach. “I’m not asking you to spill your tea or anything, I just want to know what’s going on—how you’re feeling, how the baby’s feeling, what kind of changes your body is going through, stuff like that.”

“Okay, but I’m setting up a boundary with the last one.”

“That’s fine.”

“I’m not going to tell you all about my rashes and weird bodily—”

“Okay, okay, you made your point!” Suguru cringed in protest. “I just want you to remember that I’m the baby’s father, Kuroo-kun; I have a role, too, but I can’t help if you hide information from me. Do you know how _devastated_ I would be if that altercation had resulted in something _physical_ , in you being seriously injured?”

“I…didn’t really…think about it, no,” Tetsurou whispered.

“Look, kitty-chan. I’m not trying to make you feel shitty, I just want to make sure you know that I’m here for you. As dorky as that sounds, I want to be here for you and the baby, okay? Is that alright?”

Kuroo could only nod, still feeling shitty despite Suguru telling him not to. The alpha sighed deeply in confirmation, collapsing back into his spot across from the journalist where his burger and fries sat on the table, now room temperature. They were silent for a moment, Tetsurou feeling too guilty for talking and Suguru still stressed over not being present when some punk college kids verbally attacked the omega carrying his child…

“Want my fries?” Daishou asked, pushing the pile towards Kuroo. “I only like them when they’re hot.”

“Sure. Thanks, snake-chan.”

“Do you have any clues as to what the gender is, yet?” The chaebol asked curiously as the other started eating again. “Any weird behavior going on down there?”

“Not particularly,” Kuroo shrugged, nibbling on a fry. “We find out pretty soon, anyway; why? You hoping for another heir for all the crap in your closet?”

“Haha, very funny,” Suguru rolled his eyes. “I was just wondering—these are the things we should be discussing, you know?”

“Okay, well, what do _you_ think it is? Boy or girl?”

“Hmm…not sure. You’re and only son and I’m an only son, so with those odds I’m thinking…boy?”

“Nice theory,” Tetsurou nodded in thought. “As for me, I think it’ll be twin boys; these hips are sturdy enough to handle two strapping young men, know what I mean?”

“T- _Twins_?” Daishou nearly coughed. “You think it’ll be twins?”

“Twin _boys_ , Suguru, _boys_! How fucking fun will that be?!”

“That would certainly be something on the announcement card…my mom would probably cry—”

“Wait wait wait, back-up a second,” Kuroo stopped him, swallowing the last of his burger as he silently repeated those words over and over. “Did you say… _announcement_ card?”

“Yeah. Like people do for weddings, you know?” The alpha explained. “I called a photographer the other day, and she said she could get us in whenever—”

“ _Haha_! Good one, Sugs!”

Daishou was confused by Kuroo’s strange reaction, watching as he hurried to the sink as if he was going to throw up, only he was laughing like the chaebol had said something hilarious. That creepy animal laugh echoed off the kitchen walls and haunted Suguru’s very soul, and he desperately tried to put an end to it.

“…I’m being serious, Tetsurou.”

“I know, that’s why I’m laughing! Tears of _agony_!” Tetsurou cackled, holding onto his ribs in pain. “No way in hell are we— _hahaaa_ …we are _not_ taking family pictures together…”

“Of course we are, it’s a Suguru tradition!” Daishou claimed, standing up to fight for his cute plan. “It’ll be—fun or some shit! It’s romantic!”

“And?” Kuroo laughed.

“And—And we’re going to do it, whether you like it or not!”

“Make me!”

Suguru bit his lip to keep from spitting back at Tetsurou, who was currently grinning over at him like a snotty little brat. It was infuriating and attractive at the same time. He wanted to kiss that smirk right off those rosy, perfectly sized lips that fit right against his like feathers on a dove—

_I mean…no. No kissing._

“Well?” The cat giggled, standing in a challenging pose. “You gunna make me or what?”

_Stupid pretty lips and stupid shining cat eyes looking up at me…makes me wanna eat him up like that one night…_

“Ha! That’s what I thought!” Kuroo laughed, skipping off down the hall in success.

“S-Shut up! Go to your room!” Daishou blushed darkly.

“MAKE ME!”

~~~-~~~

Suguru ignored all refusals and whines from Kuroo concerning the topic of family pictures in the park, and a few days later, the omega somehow found himself at Tokyo’s Kinuta Park, most famous for its dazzling rows of cherry blossom trees—only winter had official begun and the trees were horrifyingly bare. This was only one of many reasons why Kuroo did not want to take pictures with Suguru, but he chose this one to complain about the most as the alpha drug him through the scary-looking park to where the photographer was waiting.

“I can’t believe I finally get to take pictures in Kinuta Park and it’s _winter_ time,” Tetsurou grumbled, being pulled along by Suguru towards the photographer. “Look at how scary the trees are! It reveals the true nature of our relationship to the world.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Daishou hissed. He looked all too handsome in his fancy speckled grey sweater and fancy boy dark grey pants, matching prettily with his greenish-brownish eyes and stupidly cute face, not to mention the expensive scarf thrown around his neck to keep the winter chill away…Kuroo felt ugly enough next to the chaebol, and now that his baby bump was pressing against the lighter grey sweater he wore, the omega couldn’t help but feel silly and domestic next to Suguru, hating that he liked the matching scarf the chaebol bought him as well as a pair of midnight blue mittens. Taking family pictures was for chumps. Bokuto would laugh his ass off when he got one of these stupid cards in the mail…Akaashi would probably laugh, too. Somehow Tetsurou would become the laughing stock of their friendship, the idiot who slept with Suguru Daishou and was now taking family pictures with him—but Kuroo wouldn’t go down that easily.

“It means the bareness of the trees represents you and me—we can only cooperate when we’re naked and when it’s the middle of winter.”

“We slept together in _August_ , Kuroo.”

“So?”

Suguru rolled his eyes for the hundredth time, tugging his “significant other” by his side as they approached the photographer; apparently Daishou already briefed her on what kind of photos he wanted, because she already had a little station set-up in front of a tree row, blanket on the ground for the happy couple to sit on. Kuroo wasn’t opposed to meeting new people, but there was something about omegas that just didn’t sit right with him ever since he became pregnant. Akaashi was fine, of course, and the other limited number of omega friends Tetsurou had, but he always entered sort of an inferiority complex when meeting new ones. After mentioning this to Bokuto, the alpha claimed Kuroo shouldn’t be the one on edge, as he was pregnant and therefore on a higher level than other omegas, though this didn’t really calm him down very much because even with his pregnant glow he wasn’t more attractive than Akaashi. But who was?

“Good afternoon, Daishou-san!” The woman greeted happily.

“Hello, Kaori-san. Sorry we’re late.”

“The client is never late—the photographer is only early. This must be Kuroo-san, yes?”

“Yup.”

“Don’t sound so thrilled,” Tetsurou rolled his eyes, bowing to Kaori politely. “Nice to meet you, Kaori-san.”

“The pleasure’s all mine; I have to say, Kuroo-san, you’re in excellent shape for being pregnant.” She admired in awe, unintentionally making the other omega blush. “I hate to say it, Daishou-san, but I think the camera will love Kuroo more today!”

“I like you, Kaori,” Kuroo grinned while throwing an arm around her shoulder. “We’ll have to do our best to make sure Suguru’s _head_ at least makes it into the pictures.”

“Alright...can we get started, please?” The alpha narrowed his eyes.

“Of course; I thought first we could do some standing pictures, and then we’ll move to the blanket—sound okay?”

“Actually, do you think we could do a nude pict—”

Daishou pinched the skin on Tetsurou’s cheek, making him yelp in pain as Kaori led them past the blanket and closer to the naked trees where they would be taking their first set of photos; Kuroo couldn’t remember the last time he took professional pictures, but he quickly remembered why he despised the sickening couples in picture frames at the card stores in Tokyo. There was nothing he despised more than fake-ass relationships, and now that he was _one_ of those people, Kuroo’s level of difficulty went up an entire level.

“Okay,” Kaori began, adjusting her camera lenses. “Why don’t we start with something simple; Suguru, I want you to stand behind Kuroo-san and wrap your arms around his shoulders, alright?”

_Like hell!_

The second Daishou slunk his arms around Kuroo from behind, the omega _lightly_ elbowed him in the stomach, sending Suguru stumbling backwards and holding onto his abdomen area while hissing under his breath. Kaori looked pretty shocked at how pleased the omega looked.

“Kaori-san, do we _really_ have to be so close for a picture?” Tetsurou reasoned, feeling Suguru glaring at him amidst his agony. “I mean, I know most people like to do cute poses and crap, but don’t you have any where, oh, I don’t know…we aren’t even _touching_?”

“Umm…well…I—I thought you and Daishou-chan were taking photos to celebrate your pregnancy, Kuroo-san.” The photographer scratched her head in confusion. “I figured…I figure you would want to show your closeness for the card you plan to send out.”

“Haha! Oh Kaori, dear, there’s no way in hell I’m sending out a card with _both_ of us on it,” Kuroo laughed as Daishou finally recovered from the cheap shot behind him. “Let me guess, he lied and told you we were dating, right? Well, I hate to break-up the fairytale of model couples in picture frames, bu—”

“Oy,” Suguru grumbled, struggling to contain his irritation at Kuroo’s attempts to ruin the photoshoot. “We’re taking pictures whether you like it or not, so quit wasting everyone’s time and just smile for the friggin camera, okay _dear_?”

“I refuse to take part in your sick little fantasy, Daishou! If you want me in the picture, you’re gunna have to _make me_.”

Kuroo was so sure that threat would work as it had days earlier, but this time, a strange flash went through Suguru’s eyes, and suddenly the omega found himself trapped against the alpha’s chest, unable to squirm out or hit any fragile part of the other’s body.

“Quick, Kaori-san!”

_Click!_

“You rotten— _bastard_!” Kuroo growled, trying to claw his way out of Suguru’s grip. “Let go!”

“Smile, you rabid alleycat!”

“No!”

_Click!_

“Alright, next pose!” Kaori giggled. “Kuroo-san, will you turn the other way so Suguru-san can put his hands on your stomach?”

“No no no, I am _not_ stooping that low—”

Tetsurou was ashamed to admit that he was almost turned on by how easy it was for Daishou to man-handle him into the next pose; the omega froze when Suguru’s skinny hands gently touched his stomach, arms trapping him in a hold as Kaori snapped a few more pictures. Dear god, he hoped no one from class walked by and saw him in this position with Suguru…he would never hear the end of _that_ humiliation…

“Hey, that one wasn’t so bad!” Kaori cheered, trying not to laugh at the horrified expression on Kuroo’s face. “Let’s get some bigger smiles on those lips—you are having a baby together, after all!”

“Don’t remind me,” Daishou huffed, earning himself a kick in the shin.

“That’s my line, snake.”

“What happened to being mature and honest with each other?”

“That doesn’t apply to picture taking,” Kuroo crossed his arms, nudging the boy off him, though it didn’t have the full effect since he was wearing mittens. “I won’t be caught up in your scheme to convince everyone that we were dating long before I got pregnant; no one will fall for it, anyway, so just give it up!”

Kaori stood to the side nervously as the alpha and omega squared off, standing chest to chest and glaring holes through the other’s head—Kuroo had a slight height advantage, what with the rooster hair and all, but Suguru’s determination wasn’t about to be overpowered by the cat’s stubbornness. The photographer wasn’t sure what to do when Daishou began wrestling the omega into another pose, dodging claws and headbutts while yelling for her to take another picture; she knew how to deal with children when they didn’t cooperate for pictures, but Kaori had a feeling toys and candy bribes wouldn’t work on adults. At least not on Suguru. She snapped a few photos here and there, only for them to look more like UFC action shots than baby announcement pictures, Kuroo’s fist going towards Daishou’s face, Suguru’s legs wrapped around Tetsurou’s thighs in an attempt to hold him down…it was certainly an interesting afternoon of picture taking, but so far, none of the photos were really useable.

After an hour of kicking and screaming, a wave of fatigue hit Kuroo just as Kaori moved them to the blanket scene, her final resort for a decent picture. Suguru was talking with her about the angle when he realized ten-seconds had passed without Kuroo hitting him or interrupting with sarcasm; greatly concerned, the alpha glanced down, now noticing that Tetsurou was sitting very still to his right, mouth loosely hanging open an inch or two, eyes suddenly dull and tired. The black-haired boy leaned closer to Suguru than he had all afternoon, hand brushing against Daishou’s pant leg on the blanket as he sat silently. Despite all the insults they threw at each other not a minute before, the chaebol still had a great sense of protection when it came to Kuroo and immediately asked if he was okay.

“Hey—you alright?” Daishou questioned, poking the other boy’s side lightly. “Feeling sick?”

“No…just tired all the sudden,” Tetsurou answered slowly. He was really beginning to hate these random bursts of utter exhaustion. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Well, I’m going to worry about it because you look like you could fall asleep right now. Lie down for a minute—I’m sure Kaori won’t mind.”

“…Fine…”

Kuroo was ready to plop down on the red and blue plaid blanket for a quick five-minute nap, but Suguru had other plans; before the omega could curl up in a ball, he found himself being grabbed for the hundredth time that day, only this grab was softer than the others before. Daishou propped Tetsurou against his knees, making sure the journalist’s head sat comfortably against his own chest area—Kaori was so shocked by the sight she almost forgot to bring her camera up, hurriedly adjusting the focus on the pretty scene ahead. Kuroo sighed quietly, a winter chill pushing its way through the scarf and sending shivers through the omega’s body; Suguru frowned, thinking Tetsurou was becoming sick from the wet scent coursing through the air around them. He went to rub Kuroo’s stomach in hopes that it might help him feel better, only for the journalist to grab onto his wrist, although he didn’t shove his touch away entirely. There was peace in the park as Tetsurou took deep breaths, right hand loosening its grip on Daishou’s hand so that it gently rested on his swollen tummy—he opened his eyes to try and read the alpha’s expression, wondering if he would be shocked back to reality by a pair of deceitful green snake eyes. Instead, Kuroo saw a cooler, neutral tone of ice green, accented by the grey of the trees and sky behind his head, full of that strange concern and responsibility the omega was getting used to seeing. Despite what he thought, Tetsurou had opened up a lot more to Suguru than he expected himself to, and it was shown by the effortless way he sunk into the snake’s hold as they laid on the blanket silently, taking a moment for rest from their passive aggressive attempts to ruin each other’s model poses.

“You’re so damn stubborn,” Suguru mumbled, staring down at the omega on his lap. “Where do you get that from, kitty-chan?”

“Probably my mom. Where do you get your disgusting determination from?”

“Probably both my mom and my dad.”

“Mm,” Tetsurou hummed. He resisted the urge to reach up and touch the corners of Suguru’s face, the dull halo around his jaw from the sun desperately trying to peak out through the dark winter clouds above. Easier said than done. Pregnant omegas were easily touched starved, and although they had technically been touching during their wrestling match, Kuroo really just wanted to cuddle up against the alpha without any sort of retaliation. “Guess our kid will be twice as competitive then, huh?”

“Guess so,” Suguru agreed, a smile threatening to break his serious expression. He was biting his tongue in an attempt to keep his stupid self from telling Kuroo how beautiful he looked, lying on his lap in a relaxed pose, scarf bundled up to his chin, still holding Daishou’s wrist like he didn’t want him to let go… “You think they’ll use Nekoma tactics, or Nohebi’s famous underhand tactics?”

“No kid of mine will be kissing ass while playing volleyball.”

“Right…just kissing ass off the court like their mother, right?”

A grin broke out on Tetsurou’s lips, quickly emerging into a loud laugh that echoed through the empty park, a sound that usually made Suguru snicker himself, but this time, his surprise at Kuroo’s reaction only allowed him a small smile of his own, lips pressed together in an attempt to stop it, to no avail.

 

_Snap!_

“I got it!!!” Kaori exclaimed loudly, tugging Suguru and Kuroo out of their daydream. “I got a good one!!!”

“Eh?”

“Really?!” Daishou asked, pushing the omega off his lap and running over to look. Tetsurou followed after, grumbling under his breath all the way as they crowded around the camera to see the picture; sure enough, Kaori had captured the only peaceful moment out of the entire afternoon, Kuroo in mid-laugh while Suguru’s hand rested on his stomach and a reluctant, but adorable smile appearing on those snake-like lips, creating an almost _normal_ image of your everyday Tokyo couple expecting a child together. Only the base of the naked trees crept their way into the image, the dull colored grass making the blanket and boys stand out even more, giving a bright addition of color to Suguru’s pale skin. As much as Kuroo hated to say it, they really did look like a couple in the picture. Bokuto would be so proud.

“Hey…that one is actually really great,” Daishou complimented. “Excellent job, Kaori-san.”

“Not bad—although your hair isn’t as straight as it usually is, Suguru-chan,” The male omega pointed out.

“I wonder why,” Suguru grumbled, nudging Kuroo’s shoulder.

“It’s a perfect one to end on, don’t you think?”

“Yes—thanks Kaori-san. And sorry for all the trouble.”

“Oh, that’s okay!” The photographer nodded rapidly. “I have difficulty getting kids to stand still for pictures, too.”

Suguru and Kuroo both went a little sheepish after that comment, helping Kaori pack her things up for the day while giving a few more looks at the only decent picture she managed to capture; it would be cool to come back in the spring with their baby for pictures by the cherry blossom trees…if they lasted that long, of course. There was always a chance they would have a falling out, like all model couples do, and Suguru would storm out or force Kuroo to return to Bokuto’s place with his tail tucked between his legs…Tetsurou didn’t want to believe that the smiles in this picture were fake, however, and let his guard down a bit more as Daishou walked up behind him, glancing down at the screen with admiration.

“It’s perfect,” The chaebol nodded certainly. “We’ll print this one and have it in a frame in time for your party.”

“Daishou—I could not give you a bigger _no_ on that one.”

“Come on, Kuroo; we both look good in it, and it’s the only picture Kaori could get of us smiling. Take it or leave it.”

 _Well…I suppose I wouldn’t be so mad if he framed this one_ , Kuroo thought, wondering how Kaori managed to make them look so buddy-buddy. _Dad will like it, at the very least, and…it wouldn’t hurt for people to think we get along, right?_

“I guess it’s not _so_ fake,” Tetsurou admitted, handing back Kaori her camera. “I just wish it was springtime; that way the cherry blossoms would be in bloom and I’d be more willing to smile a little. When the baby comes, can we bring them here for their first pictures? You know, when the trees are all pretty and pink?”

Although teasing was Suguru’s first instinct, he couldn’t really tease the omega for something he looked so bright and happy about; instead, he gave a slow nod, hiding his secret happiness over Kuroo’s happiness by looking away.

“I like that idea.”

“Sweet!”

Kuroo grinned evilly when he turned around.

“ _Sucker_.”

~~~-~~~

Suguru didn’t necessarily care for his job as a receptionist (or, rather, working several levels underneath the other idiots in the office around him), but the management worked around his school hours and were mercifully not open on weekends; he hated doing boring paperwork and forcing cheerfulness whenever the phone rang, and although Kuroo admitted he was proud of the rich boy for getting a job, that didn’t mean Daishou had to enjoy himself. He was spiteful like that, as shown through his stubborn refusal to answer his father’s texts and calls. And so, a few weekends before Kuroo’s big birthday bash, the chaebol found himself party planning with Bokuto at he and Kuroo’s apartment while watching _Goblin_. The omega himself was at work for the day, refusing to go on leave just yet, suddenly remembering just how expensive babies were after a few talks with his father—and since his baby daddy was apparently no longer in contact with his own father, Kuroo would have to make a couple extra bucks here and there, just for some extra insurance. Daishou wasn’t buddy-buddy with the other dorky alpha in Tetsurou’s life quite yet, but managed to be civil enough as long as Bokuto didn’t mention volleyball. He attempted to sway the conversation that way often, only for his methods to be shut down by Suguru saying they shouldn’t get off-topic; so far, they managed to agree on decorations (a red theme, per Nekoma’s school colors), the time (five, after Suguru got off work) and Bokuto insisted they have it at the new fancy apartment, since their place could hold more people. Daishou knew a bit about serving from his mother’s dinner parties (how he hated dressing up for those things…), insisting they get all these fancy foods and different sized cups for various punches and special wines—Bokuto’s head was spinning as he tried listening and distinguishing between the drinks Daishou listed.

“I wonder if the adults will want pisco punch,” Daishou hummed, tapping a pen against his notebook. “Or maybe scorpion punch. We could hire a bartender, get some highball mixes in there—”

“Well, I’m an adult, and I say we just have regular punch with no alcohol.”

“What? You’re not an adult.”

“I-I am, too!” Bokuto squealed. “I’m probably older than you, Severus!!!”

“Stop calling me that,” Suguru scowled while scribbling out a few more drink ideas. “What kind of punch do you want, then?”

“It’s not about what _I_ want, Suguru, it’s about what _Kuroo_ wants. His favorite punch is the orange kind.”

“…The orange kind,” The darker haired alpha repeated blankly. “You do realize there are over a _hundred_ types of orange punches, right? And besides, orange doesn’t match our red theme.”

“He likes the one mixed with cranberry Sprite and something orange,” Koutarou continued thoughtfully, folding a piece of paper in an odd shape. It was meant to be a hat. “That’s all I know; for food choices you better ask him, because he’s been _super_ picky lately!”

“You’re telling me,” Daishou sighed while tossing the food notebook aside. “I have to eat my fish in secrecy because kitty-chan can’t stand the smell—what kind of cat doesn’t like fish?”

“To be fair, cats _do_ like fish, just not when they’re pregnant with a hybrid snake baby.”

“Would you stop mentioning snake eggs when we’re discussing food? That’s totally _nauseating_.”

“Um, duh, because I’m talking about _you_ ,” Bokuto cackled evilly, pushing Suguru’s shoulder. “This is what roomies do, bro! They bicker and banter!”

“You and I are _not_ roomies, nor will we ever be,” The chaebol glared. “Now quit changing the subject and he—”

“Hey, have you and Kuroo been doing it ever since you moved in together?” Koutarou asked suddenly, sitting up on his knees to trade gossip. “He won’t tell me any details, but you guys have been fooling around, haven’t you? I have a weird feeling you two have done something, but ‘Kaashi says I shouldn’t just assume you guys have be—”

“Shut up!” Suguru hissed as the door to the apartment suddenly opened. It was a good thing Bokuto listened, too, because none other than Kuroo himself came trudging down the hall, looking pale and worn-out as he dropped his coat and bag on the table, hardly sparing a glance at the odd couple sitting on the couch.

“Oy, Kuroo!” Koutarou waved obnoxiously. “Over here!”

“You weren’t supposed to be home until later,” Suguru pointed out, taking in the sloppy appearance of the omega. “…What’s wrong?”

“Nothin,” Tetsurou mumbled lowly, droopy eyes peering over as Bokuto stood up to greet him. “Just got sent home because I got sick all a sudden…cat’s out of the bag, now.”

“Oh.”

“And my professor just dropped a random paper on us and it’s due in _three days_ …”

“Ouch.” Koutarou commented.

“And I just feel so _damn tired_ …”

“I think someone needs a biiiiiig hug from their buddy Bokuto!”

“No,” The omega resisted, holding up a weak arm to defend himself as the spikey-haired student skipped over to him. “Bokuto, no…”

“Wrap your arms around me and let it allllll out—that’s what godfathers are for!”

Koutarou trapped Kuroo in a large hug, pulling his friend up close and personal against his chest, met with little resistance despite Tetsurou’s earlier reluctance; Daishou rolled his eyes in annoyance, trying to focus on the _Goblin_ scene on the TV in hopes that Kuroo would turn his attention back to him. _It really isn’t such a terrible show…maybe if I mention that Kuroo will come over and watch it with me. Then we can kick Bokuto out for good_ , Suguru thought evilly, although the hugging pair paid him no mind.

“Need some scenting?” Koutarou asked suddenly, recapturing Daishou’s upmost attention.

“Please.”

“Close your eyes, Suguru,” The bigger alpha warned, wiggling his eyebrows as he raised his fingers. “This could get a little _frisky_!”

“No, Bokuto, not the tickling, too—”

Suguru could only watch with envy and jealously as Bokuto simultaneously scented his best friend while lightly tickling his sides, making Kuroo squirm like a child. He tried holding his laughs down to a moderate level, but between both sensations and his weakening knees Tetsurou didn’t stand a chance, letting himself collapse against Bokuto as he was mercilessly attacked. The pals were too into their moment to really realize how irritated Suguru’s scent had become, watching another alpha scent the mother of his child only a few feet away…

_Riiiiing, riiiiing, riiiing!_

“That’s my mom,” Daishou announced, slipping his cell phone out as it rang. “Do you mind putting this little show away for a moment, gentlemen?”

“Can’t put a hold on love, snake-chan,” Kuroo giggled, finally recovering as Bokuto ceased his tickling to focus on scenting. Suguru almost felt nauseated as he excused himself into the bedroom, answering the call before he really got riled-up. _Maybe I need to put my foot down when it comes to scenting…_

“Hey Mom. What’s up?”

“ _Hi, Daishou dear; how are you?_ ”

“Fine, I guess,” The alpha sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Kuroo just came home sick, though, but he’s okay.”

“ _Ahh, I see_ ,” Sora Suguru hummed. “ _What’s new with Kuroo-san? Is the baby treating him alright?_ ”

“Most of the time. He’s showing pretty obviously, now, and he’s getting used to having weird cravings and stuff. His birthday is the 17th, so we’re having a little party for him at the apartment.”

“ _Ooo, a party! That should be fun!_ ”

“You’re invited, if you want to drop by for a few minutes or something,” Daishou said. His teeth grinded together when he thought of the next question his mother would ask.

“ _Is your father invited as well?_ ”

“Why? Did he show more interest in coming to insult my—…the mother of my child some more?” Suguru asked sarcastically. “Sorry, but I’m trying this thing where I think positively, and if he’s going to be awkward and stiff to Kuroo, he may as well not bother showing up.”

Sora was quiet on the other end for a moment, making her son feel guilty for hissing at her like he did, but he meant what he said about Daisuke; there wasn’t going to be any negativity at this birthday bash, no people who would comment on he and Kuroo’s unbonded status, no punk college students to make sexual jokes and poke fun at their current living situation. If they wanted their baby to be born healthy, Suguru would have to keep Kuroo’s mental and emotional state at a happy level, and from even what little he knew about omegas, Daishou was pretty sure insults towards the reasons Kuroo had told the chaebol about his pregnancy was not the way to do that.

“ _Daishou_ ,” Sora addressed gently. “ _You know your father would like to reconcile and put this all behind us. Why don’t you formally invite us to Kuroo’s birthday party, and then we can all_ —”

“Sorry Mom, but that’s not going to happen. I know Dad is still probably thinking the same thoughts he was when I told him about Kuroo’s pregnancy, and sitting around playing happy family won’t change that fact,” Suguru shook his head. “I can’t risk making a scene on Kuroo’s day.”

“ _You men are so stubborn_ ,” His mother mumbled under her breath. “ _Alright, dear…I’ve got to go make dinner. We’ll send Kuroo-san a card, okay?_ ”

“Okay.”

“ _And please answer your father when he calls and texts_.”

“No promises.”

“ _Alright…have a good night, Dai. Love you_.”

“Love you, too, Mom. Bye.”

Suguru released a huge sigh after hanging up, plopping back onto the bed with emotional exhaustion; it was really tough being the alpha of the household. It was even tougher not being the only alpha in Kuroo’s life, and although he understood the close bond between the omega and Bokuto, the scenting thing still irritated him, if only for selfish reasons. _Why can’t we have that close a relationship?_ Daishou wondered. _I mean…I know we were enemies at one point, but shouldn’t we be trying to get to know each other a little better? I don’t want Kuroo to be uncomfortable with me in the room as he squeezes out a baby…is there a way for us to be as close as he and Bokuto are by the time the baby comes along?_

 

The day came and went, Bokuto scenting his best friend one last time before leaving near dinnertime, not noticing how Suguru nearly broke a cup he was washing out of jealously. He must have kept his scent contained, though, because Kuroo didn’t seem to notice his irritation either, skipping a shower and launching into a marathon of _Good Doctor_ in the bedroom; apparently he was in denial about the paper due in a few days time, because he didn’t mention its existence for the rest of the night, didn’t even open his laptop to get started. When Daishou finished his own accounting homework, he quietly peeked into the bedroom to see if the omega had fallen asleep, only to find him in his pajamas crying on the bed surrounded by a mound of used tissues. His teary eyes were locked on the TV screen, all but ignoring Suguru as he sat down on the edge of the mattress, turning his eyes to the current scene; a tall, young Japanese man named Shindo Minato was shouting at his father from across a street, struggling for the older man’s attention.

“His dad just wanted to meet with him to ask for money,” Kuroo sniffled, wiping at his face. “Shindo doesn’t understand why he bailed on their dinner…he doesn’t know Dr. Akira already paid the bastard off so he would leave Shindo alone.”

“His dad abandoned him or something?” Suguru tried to clarify, feeling his chest ache from the desperate way Shindo called for his father, finding his way across the street and sprinting after the ungrateful jerk.

“Y-Yeah. He and his brother, when they were kids, just because Shindo’s autistic…”

The boys fell silent, watching the climax of the scene together as Kuroo sucked in a deep breath, even though he had already seen this episode many times.

 _“Ot_ _ōsan! Ot_ _ōsan!”_ Dr. Shindo finally caught up to him, his father turning around to face him _. “Why didn’t you come? I waited for you.”_

His father stared for a long second before turning away without a single word. Shindo flinched as if he had been slapped, lunging out to grab onto the older man’s arm before he could walk away.

_“Let go of me!”_

Shindo’s father jerked out of his son’s grasp, sending the package he was holding crashing to the ground; as it fell, wads of money fell out, making Shindo confused. He watched as his father laughed evilly, carefully picking the money up and facing his son with a dark smirk.

_“If I don’t see you, I can make a lot of money.”_

_“What do you mean?”_ Shindo asked, eyes wide.

 _“Please take this, but don’t go near Minato again.”_ Dr. Akira had told Shindo’s father, holding out the money bribe.

 _“As soon as I get this, I have no use for you,”_ He explained roughly, turning away again. Shindo didn’t know what to do but speak to his father as to prevent him from leaving.

 _“Ot_ _ōsan, haven’t you always wanted to see me?!”_ Shindo asked frantically, succeeding in getting his father to face him _. “Don’t you like me now because I’ve become a doctor?”_

 _“Are you kidding me?! Why would I want to see you?!”_ His father screamed in his face _. “You destroyed my life!!!”_

Shindo shook his head back and forth, grip tightening on his backpack straps as he struggled to wrap his head around the situation.

_“I don’t understand. I don’t understand what you’re saying!”_

_“You jerk…have you forgotten? At that time, they saved you first. That’s why it was too late to treat Sota and he died!”_ His father grabbed hold of his shoulders, shaking the young man violently _. “Sota died because of YOU!”_

Shindo let himself be shoved away, continuing to shake his head in denial.

 _“You’re lying—Shiga-sensei told me…that even though it was a shame, Sota died on the spot,”_ The doctor claimed _. “He said Sota didn’t suffer and went to heaven! You’re lying!”_

Not knowing what else to do, Shindo grabbed at his father again.

 _“Don’t touch me!”_ The older man shouted, aggressively ripping his son’s grip away and pushing him into the ground. Shindo laid there shaking as his father turned away, hissing underneath his breath _. “It would be good if you’re not here…”_

Daishou pretended his eyes weren’t welling up with tears as Kuroo bawled silently beside him, holding a tissue to his nostrils, watching Shindo sprint through the hospital hallways and burst into Dr. Akira’s office.

_“Shiga-sensei! My dad said that you saved me first. That’s why my brother died…but you told me, that even though it was a shame, Sota died on the spot. Who’s telling the truth?”_

Shindo paused, eyes wide with on-coming tears.

_“…Please tell me the truth.”_

Dr. Akira saw that he could not cover the past any longer, setting his pen down before slowly and calmly addressing the young doctor.

_“When you and Sota were sent to the hospital…you both were still alive. I didn’t want to confuse you, so I didn’t tell you. I’m sorry. But Sota definitely did not die because of you—at that time, you had more chances of surviving…that’s why I saved you first. If the situation were reversed, I would have saved Sota first.”_

_“No!”_ Shindo cried out _. “You shouldn’t give up no matter what the circumstances are! You should have saved my brother first! If you saved my brother instead of me, then everyone would be happy!”_

_“Minato!”_

_“I’m the one—I’m the one who should go to heaven instead!!!”_

Suguru stayed very still as to not let any of the tears drip from his chin; Kuroo, meanwhile, had no shame about crying over J-dramas and sniffled and buried his face into the nearest pillow, pausing the TV as to stop the agony. They laid there for a good ten-minutes recovering from the heart-wrenching scene, not a word said between them until Suguru finally regained control of his voice and had (mostly) erased all evidence that he had been crying.

“This…um…this show’s pretty rough, huh?” He coughed, picking at a string on his shirt.

“Mhm!” Kuroo whined into the pillow.

A few more moments passed by with sniffles and silence, the omega only coming back to reality when his abdomen began pounding with a dull aching sensation. Motherly instincts kicked in, Tetsurou immediately thinking something was wrong and sobering up enough to realize his scent smelled different than usual; Suguru noticed as well, had been noticing it for the past few days or so, watching as Kuroo took the pillow off his face to give him a weird look. He looked like such a dork with his pink eyelids and blotchy face, red from bawling his heart out over a TV show…

“Why do I smell weird?”

“I’ve been wondering that since the day I met you.”

Kuroo kicked his shin from under the covers, frowning like a child and holding onto his aching stomach.

“I’m serious. I smell…I don’t know…”

“Your scent changes as it’s forming the baby’s scent, remember?” Suguru reminded him after recovering from the kick. “If you would read the books I bought, you would know that.”

“Shut up. My stomach hurts like hell all a sudden…”

“Can I—”

Daishou shut his mouth, suddenly hearing how desperate he sounded to be near Kuroo as the omega lazily re-opened his eyes, trying to decode why he cut the question off. The chaebol didn’t want to seem like a pervert or something…Tetsurou already teased him enough. But the baby needed him right now, and Suguru definitely didn’t want to be a terrible father, not like Shindo’s shithead of a dad like in the show… _man up and ask! You already did it once!_

“Can I…scent you?” Suguru forced out. “Would that help?”

Kuroo wasn’t sure why he was surprised at the offer, but he found himself nodding shyly anyway, turning his back to Suguru in a surprising offer to spoon on the bed. The alpha hurriedly went into position, only daring to put his palm on Tetsurou’s elbow as he leaned forward and began scenting him comfortingly, hoping it somewhat soothed the ache in the omega’s abdomen. That wave of warmth and grass-like scent made Kuroo dizzy for a moment, but he sunk into the sensation easier than he would like to admit, untensing his tight pose as the ache faded away somewhat, leaving behind a sore feeling stretching across his stomach. Why did this always make Tetsurou feel guilty?

“Sorry…Sorry if I’ve been mean by asking Bokuto to scent me,” Kuroo apologized quietly. “I’m just used to leaning on him for my needs, I guess…but…I’ll try to, like…go to you with this stuff more often.”

 _So he did notice my burning jealously_ , Daishou mentally blushed.

“I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”

“And, um…you can sleep on the bed a few times a week, if you want. I feel bad about you sleeping on the couch all the time.”

“It’s actually pretty comfortable,” Suguru hummed, capturing Kuroo in another wave of his scent. “Don’t worry about me. You just take care of yourself and the baby.”

“Well, you better take care of yourself, too, because I sure as hell aren’t going to marry Bokuto if you get yourself incapacitated by sleeping on a couch for nine-months in a row,” The omega threatened lowly, trying to make it seem like he wasn’t enjoying being so close to Suguru. “We can switch or…just share, if you want. I don’t want you to blame me for your future back problems.”

Daishou’s tired laugh brushed against the back of Tetsurou’s neck, making a strand of his hair move gently. The journalist felt Suguru lay his head down on the other pillow, hand still resting on Kuroo’s elbow to steady him; it was funny how domestic they could be together, despite claims of hatred and dislike from both sides. If any random person were to walk in right now, they would think Kuroo and Suguru were a rich married couple happily awaiting the birth of their first child together. Most of that was true, save for the “rich couple” part…

“Let’s discuss age another day,” Suguru sighed. “We’ll talk about it on your birthday. How old will you be again? Twenty-nine?”

“Yeah right—I still look like a teenager, which is more I can say about _you_ , chaebol-sensei.”

“I don’t look _old_ …I’m just ahead of the fashion. There’s a huge difference!”

“Whatever you say, _daddy_.” Kuroo snickered. “I’m totally gunna call you that in public just to see if it riles you up.”

Suguru mumbled insults under his breath as he finished scenting for the night, suddenly too tired to move from his spot as Kuroo switched the TV off. Neither of them said anything about Daishou leaving, and the alpha had to secretly wonder if their earlier conversation about sharing the bed was a sign that Tetsurou didn’t want him to go. Of course the cat would never admit to it, and maybe Suguru was just tooting his own horn, but as he fell into a deep sleep still so close to the omega, he hoped that at least for one night, they could pretend.

 

In the morning, Kuroo came back from his hundredth trip to the bathroom and finally noticed Suguru sleeping on the other side of the mattress; he sighed deeply, forgoing any lingering dislike he had for the snake and crawled back under the covers, slyly stealing Daishou’s warmth and scooting so close they were almost touching.

 

_November 14 th_

It was a few days before Kuroo’s birthday bash, so he and Suguru went out to pick-up the groceries and ingredients they needed for the party; the man of honor said he was craving fried pickles and honey barbeque boneless wings, demanding Suguru make them himself with Bokuto an hour before the party. The alpha took this all in stride, amazed at how Tetsurou ate an entire bag of mini donuts on their drive to the supermarket. He knew better than to comment on this achievement, however, and so, the pair bickered their way into the store and grabbed a cart, gathering the ingredients they needed for fried pickles and wings.

“How are you feeling today?” Daishou asked after seeing Kuroo sneak three samples from a muffin sampling station. “Um…your stomach okay and everything?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah,” Tetsurou answered over his bite, walking alongside the cart as Suguru grabbed the chicken wings. “I’m like, super hungry, though—do you think we can make some fried pickles tonight, just for me?”

“I suppose so…”

“You’re really a sucker for me, you know that?” The cat smirked as he licked the remains of muffin off his fingertips. “I could easily make dinner all by myself, but it’s so fun to watch you silently hate me while you effortlessly heed to all my requests.”

“It’s called being a good alpha. Look it up.” Daishou glared.

“Ah, but snake-chan, you’re forgetting we aren’t a couple! It is flattering to think I could be dating Japan’s richest chaebol, but you’re not exactly my type.”

“Your _type_?” Suguru stressed, almost swerving the cart so it nicked Kuroo’s heel. “You’re saying the father of your child isn’t your _type_? What the hell does that mean?!”

“Chill out, we’re in public!”

Daishou ignored the weird looks they got, wheeling the cart into another department so they could gather everything they needed to make fried pickles. All the while, Kuroo kept rubbing his stomach and complaining about being hungry, insisting they buy _five_ _jars_ of hamburger pickles “so there would be some leftover for him after the party.” Suguru didn’t want to trigger insecure feelings about weight inside Kuroo’s head, but he was concerned enough about the future heavy consumption of pickles his unborn child would soon be going through that he brought the subject up once more as Tetsurou filled the cart with pickle jars, one hand cradling his stomach as he reached far up on the shelf.

“…Your hunger has gotten more severe in the third month,” Daishou commented innocently. Kuroo looked over curiously, wondering where he was going with this. “Are you…I mean, not that _I_ think you’re— _chubby_ or anything, but have you…are you worried about gaining weight the next few months?”

 _He’s right_ , Kuroo thought in shock, glancing down at himself in a slight panic. _Since when is Daishou ever right? I guess I hadn’t really noticed how hungrier I’ve been the past few weeks; I just eat when I want to eat. I don’t look so fat yet…at least, I don’t THINK I do…_

“Ah…I guess you’re right,” The journalist replied, tugging his t-shirt down a bit. “I…I guess I’ve been more concerned about the baby than my image so far.”

“That’s good!” Suguru said hurriedly, not wanting to start a fight in the middle of a grocery store. Arguing about whether or not the pregnant omega was fat or not…that’s making a great scene. “That’s a very healthy way to think during pregnancy!”

“I thought so. Although, I have gained some chub on my sides,” Kuroo peeked down, poking his side through the jacket. “But I do look pregnant and not just fat, right?”

“O-Of course! Why do you think everyone’s getting out of your way when we walk through an aisle?”

For some reason Tetsurou began smiling a sick little smile. Suguru was very confused until the omega stepped around the cart and leaned into his space, whispering like a child into his ear.

“Like I said— _sucker_.”

“You—You little—”

“Come along, Dai-chan!” Kuroo skipped away happily. “Let’s have deep conversations in the next aisle; we need breading for the pickles next.”

Suguru had to physically restrain himself from tackling Tetsurou to the ground, grudgingly following after and collecting what remained of his patience as the omega continued their conversation while gathering more ingredients. He was infuriatingly cute waddling around with the forming baby stomach, careful not to bump it against any pointy shelves, still managing to look friggin cool with his messy black hair and sly cat smile…Suguru had never hated his own taste more, and remained silent as Kuroo spoke, as to avoid letting his sentiments known to the cocky Nekoma captain.

“Honestly, Suguru, I think I’ve been more concerned about intimacy than weight,” He explained, trying to decide between two brands of breading. “My body’s been asking for some weird stuff lately. Like yesterday, I almost got the feeling I wanted to build a nest on the bed when I came back from class; it was super weird, and I had to steal one of your fancy shirts from the hamper and cuddle with it until I felt better. How sick is that?”

The omega grabbed a few boxes of his chosen breading, making eye contact with a thoughtful Suguru as they slowly continued down the aisle and into cart traffic again.

“This whole scent changing thing is kind of getting to me,” Tetsurou explained. “I mean, I’m not mad or anything, it’s just a little weird to feel your scent mingling with another person’s, someone you can’t see yet—I would probably be used to it if you and I were bonded or something, but since we aren’t I guess it’s just an odd sensation. I apologize in advance if I get touchy with y—”

The journalist accidentally bumped his shoulder into someone passing by.

“Oops—excuse me,” Kuroo said casually, only to be stopped by the other person grabbing onto his sleeve. The omega really wasn’t in the mood for arguing with a stranger about who bumped into who, he really didn’t give a flying fuck anyhow, so his eyes were already a bit narrowed when he turned around, coming face to face with a young man with dark stubble and even darker eyes. He wasn’t the kind of person you greeted in a grocery store, and Suguru’s guard went up immediately, standing right behind Tetsurou as the creepy guy smiled down at Kuroo, revealing a set of crooked and uncleaned teeth.

“No problem,” He replied smoothly, alpha scent becoming known to Tetsurou’s senses. An unwelcomed shiver went down his spine. “I guess I’m the one who should be apologizing, bumping into a pregnant omega so rudely.”

“Um…it’s no big deal,” Kuroo shrugged, trying not to show how uncomfortable he felt. His dad always taught him to never show how scared he was, because bad guys only fed off that emotion. “I’m fine.”

“Yes, you certainly _are_.” The alpha winked, a low laugh escaping his dry lips.

 _Last time I ever talk to someone at a grocery store_ , Tetsurou thought in annoyance, trying to get the show on the road. Suguru wasn’t saying a thing behind him, but his grip on the cart was slowly tightening, knuckles getting whiter and whiter the longer this creep stuck around, hungry gaze now quickly doing a review of Kuroo’s body, lingering especially on the small baby bump visible underneath his t-shirt in the opening of his jacket. Daishou seemed to notice the alpha’s intentions the same time as Tetsurou, a second before the freak closed the already small gap between he and the pregnant omega.

“Oy,” Suguru snapped, mind caught between a decision it had yet to make. “Back off, creepo.”

_What would Bokuto do, what would Bokuto do?! If a creepy ass dude was hitting on his pregnant best friend, what would he do?!_

“Ahh…I see you’re not a bonded pair,” The man smelled, making the hairs on Kuroo’s neck rise. He was frozen in place, wanting to hit the bastard but not knowing if that would hurt the baby or not… “Interestingly enough, I smell a combination of your scents right— _here_.”

Suguru swore his vision went black after hearing Tetsurou’s heartbeat speed-up in panic when the other alpha suddenly reached out and _put his hand_ on the omega’s swollen tummy. There was a quick second for everyone to take in the chaebol’s powerful, absolutely _infuriated_ scent, and then, right before Kuroo’s eyes, a right fist smashed into the taller alpha’s cheek _hard_ , sending the man crashing to the ground in the middle of a grocery store. Just like that, all Tetsurou’s anxiety was replaced with astonishment and pride, a weird turn of emotion considering he was just about to deck the creep himself; Suguru drew his wrist back in pain, apparently straining the muscle from how hard and solid he connected with the alpha’s face. Never in a _million years_ would Kuroo imagine Nohebi’s sly volleyball captain punching a random pervert in public to defend his honor. The mere idea was enough to make him shake, and the actual scene in front of him made his mouth drop open, but almost in the shape of a shocked smile.

“C-Come on!” Kuroo screeched, grabbing Daishou’s jacket and tugging him along as the creeper groaned on the floor. “Let’s get the hell out of here!”

“Good idea!” Suguru huffed, snatching the cart and pushing it as fast as he could go, following Tetsurou (who ran pretty damn fast for a three-month pregnant college student) through the aisles like madmen, grabbing the rest of their items along the way until they finally made it to the check-out counter, practically throwing their food on the conveyer belt while caught between breathless giggles and worried glances over their shoulders. They thanked the cashier before jogging outside with their bags, relieved smiles lighting up their features as they hurried to find Suguru’s car in the parking lot.

“Hehe! Did you see the look on his face?!”

“My wrist— _ow_ …”

“Suguru, that was incredible!!!” Tetsurou laughed happily, furthering the alpha’s pain by smacking his arm. “You totally just decked that guy in a _grocery store_! That will be the front page of chaebol magazine next month!”

“I think I sprained it,” Suguru complained as they unlocked the luxury car. “Do we still have ice at home?”

“My hero!” The omega cheered, throwing his arms around Daishou’s shoulders and cocking a knee backwards in a romantic pose. “Thanks for saving me, Suguru-chan!”

“Get off me!” Suguru laughed, prying at Kuroo’s grip on his arms. “We’ve got to get out of here in case he comes after us.”

“Let him! My baby daddy can take his sorry ass!”

“Just get in the car, Cinderella.”

The pair hurried into the front seat, tearing out of the parking lot and onto the freeway where Daishou could finally breathe, right wrist twinging with serious pain as he drove them back home; he honestly couldn’t believe he had punched someone. He’d never even gotten to a fight before, and suddenly when the mother of his child was in danger, he decked a guy right in the middle of a grocery store? _I suppose love makes us do strange things_ , the chaebol thought, quickly correcting himself. _Not that I love Kuroo or anything! I love the baby, that’s all…what if that guy had seriously hurt the baby? He already touched them with his slimy little fingers…people make me sick._

The reminder of how the creep dared to touch Tetsurou’s stomach brought back Suguru’s feelings of anger and protectiveness all over again.

“Lean closer,” Daishou hissed suddenly.

“…Okay,” Kuroo agreed, leaning closer to the dashboard as the alpha grabbed hold of his hand with his own injured one. “What for?”

“That guy…I still smell him on you.”

Tetsurou went very still, feeling as the chaebol’s scent washed over him, slowing his heartbeat down immediately, despite Suguru’s own scent holding so much fury. He couldn’t seem to get rid of that sickening scent full of alcohol and crime, hovering around his child inside Kuroo’s stomach, making him even angrier than before; Suguru pushed and pushed his scent around the omega beside him, grip tightening both metaphorically and literally, sending Tetsurou into a dazed state as he sat in the passenger seat, letting the familiar scent of forests and fancy perfume soak into his being. After a few minutes of this, Suguru finally rid his car of that disgusting, insulting smell, releasing his emotional hold on Kuroo and letting a deep breath out, though he still held onto the other’s wrist as they stopped at a red light.

“There,” The alpha exhaled. “Now I can breathe.”

Suguru was too lost in his own world to notice how thoughtful Kuroo had become, turning his head to gape at the chaebol in the driver’s seat as the skin on his hand began burning, completely trapped under Daishou’s spell. In the middle of the afternoon, the bright sun was covered by winter clouds, giving off a glowing light that peeked through the car’s windows and shone on Suguru like a spotlight. The frosty road set-up a beautiful background for Tetsurou’s daydreams, aiding the alpha’s beauty the longer Kuroo stared; it was a stunning turn of events, the omega realizing he found Suguru attractive in high school by the way he compared the current scene to one from volleyball days, the energy surrounding Daishou creating a competitive atmosphere, only this time it was, so to speak, a real competition, one of life or death, keep or steal. The snake’s cheeks were red from the violent show of dominance earlier, brightening the tiny patch of freckles on his nose, illuminating the pale complexion of his beautiful skin where two pieces of stray chestnut hairs lingered across the alpha’s forehead.

 

The sight did something worse than make Tetsurou fall in love with Suguru—it was turning him on.

 

Kuroo forced himself to turn away, lips lingering open as he stared out the window and tried reeling his horny scent back in, hoping the other thought it was just a late reaction to fear. Daishou didn’t comment, thinking that exact thought, though he walked very close to the omega on their trip up to their apartment, which didn’t help matters much. They were both lost in their own little worlds while putting groceries away, muttering quiet apologizes when they bumped into each other...Suguru wasn’t sure what Kuroo was feeling at the moment, so he remained silent and only gave a nod when the omega said he had to go to the bathroom. The alpha himself plopped on the couch after making a small bag of ice, laying the cool substance on his aching right wrist while replaying the scene at the store over again; to think he would react with such violence, only using words once before punching the guy so hard he fell right on his ass… _I’m pretty damn cool_ , the chaebol thought proudly. _I’ll have to tell Bokuto-kun about this later. He’ll be so proud of me he’ll stop leaving weird snake drawings on my shit. Maybe. Anyway, I bet my parents would love to hear about me standing up for Kuroo—Mom would say I shouldn’t have punched him, Dad would probably agree and then we’d fight more, so I guess I won’t tell them, but in another universe, I bet they’re proud of me. I saved our baby, and I helped Kuroo. Mark a dad point down for Suguru Daishou._

Kuroo suddenly exited the bathroom, interrupting Suguru’s dorky thoughts as he lazily looked over to where Tetsurou stood at the entrance of the living room for a short moment, seemingly pondering over something; the alpha didn’t really notice he had moved until Tetsurou was standing right in front of him, staring down with strangely hungry eyes. Suguru looked up at the other boy curiously, wondering if he was in the omega’s designated spot or something.

“Do you need som—”

Without a second thought, Kuroo’s knees landed on both sides of Daishou’s hips, the journalist settling himself down on the chaebol’s lap in an instant, shocking Suguru to his very core as the ice bag fell onto the floor. Kuroo ducked his head into the crook of Daishou’s neck, going to work right away—those kitty lips began laying intense, but soft kisses across Suguru’s suddenly burning throat, up and down, side to side. The young man at the center of these attentions didn’t know what to think, arms lingering uselessly in the air beside Kuroo’s body as he was attacked with kisses and extreme heat pooling from Kuroo’s body.

“Umm…what are—” Daishou’s breath caught and released after a particularly heated kiss, making him latch onto Kuroo’s arms tightly. “….You _doing_?”

“Well…I’m already pregnant,” Tetsurou hummed against the hot skin, slipping a bite in between kisses. “And you’re not too bad at the whole sex thing, Daishou-chan.”

Suguru remained very unsure about what was happening, not responding to Kuroo’s nibbles for the first minute or so; he was concerned about how this would change their relationship, given how they hadn’t done anything sexual since the night that caused these recent changes in lifestyle…what if this wrecked what they were trying to start? Were they going to trigger a friends with benefits kind of situation in the midst of having a child together without really being a couple? So many questions went through Daishou’s head, but after a moment of just letting Tetsurou kiss and suck at his neck, a wave of the omega’s scent washing over his entire being abruptly changed his mind. Kuroo huffed in delight when he felt Suguru’s arms wrap around his body, pulling him closer and dragging their covered groins together while simultaneously turning his head and pressing his lips against Tetsurou’s passionately.

The first sexual adventure in the new apartment started with a heavy make-out session on the couch, which escalated to desperate grinding the more Kuroo’s scent seeped over Suguru’s senses, pulling him further and further into the pit and leaving behind all traces of hesitance. Daishou could feel how hard the omega was already, pressing against the fabric of his grey joggers as the alpha continued to control their harsh movements, trying to get as close as possible through their layers of clothing; Kuroo was starting to get over-heated as the situation escalated, and finally began shedding some clothes off, starting with the joggers as he peeled them over his legs with Suguru’s help, not wanting to separate for even a moment.

“I’ll be—I’ll be gentle this time,” Daishou promised breathlessly as they got Kuroo’s pants off. “Do you, um…have any—”

“Here,” Tetsurou said, shoving a condom at the other, which he had apparently been holding the entire time. “Help me…help me get this off.”

For an unknown reason Suguru audibly swallowed before guiding the omega’s hands as he grabbed the hem of his t-shirt, taking it off and tossing it onto the other side of the couch, revealing a sight so shockingly enthralling Daishou released a loud gasp: if he had been utterly captivated by physically fit Kuroo, he was unquestionably _enraptured_ by three-months pregnant Kuroo. In a moment of reflection, Suguru remained absolutely still, wide eyes trained on the subtle roundness of Tetsurou’s tummy, the way his stomach hung low in preparation for growth, how his skin was moist from excitement and arousal, just like that first night they spent together. In any other situation it would have been a pure and beautiful sight, but right now seeing Kuroo pregnant was nothing short of erotic, and the alpha felt a little bad about that. He would make up for it later. For now, however, Suguru could do nothing but possessively grab hold of the omega’s sides, burning the image into his brain as Tetsurou took off his underwear, kicking them with his foot as they landed somewhere in the living room, to be found later.

_Oh god, don’t tell me I have a pregnancy kink, now…_

The chaebol forced himself to direction his upmost attention to Kuroo’s arousal, all sexual thoughts coming to a severe halt as he noticed an excessive amount of slick staining the omega’s thighs, dripping down their insides until they stopped where Tetsurou’s knees were touching Suguru’s clothed ones. Panic immediately overwhelmed Daishou, grip tightening with horror as he looked from the overly moist area back to Kuroo’s questioning eyes.

“Um—Kuroo?!” He squealed. “I think—did your water break?!”

Loud hyena laughs erupted above Suguru, bringing blush to his cheeks right away even though he didn’t know the cause. Kuroo sat on top of him, laughing his ass off for a solid two-minutes before coming back down to earth, face so full of joy Suguru wondered why he couldn’t make him laugh like this all the time.

“No, my water didn’t break, you stupid python,” Kuroo giggled, cheeks aching. “You should be flattered…it’s because of you.”

“I physically assault someone and you’re turned on by that?”

“Hmm…I don’t think it was _just_ that, but…”

The blush deepened across Suguru’s cheeks as he fell silent, unsure how to reply. Thankfully, Kuroo was still very much in the mood and started their previous activities back up a moment later, grinding against the alpha at a slow pace, all while rubbing his nose against Daishou’s, dreamy hazel eyes peering directly into that darkening serpent pair. Suguru let him take the lead, totally bending at the cat’s will as Tetsurou peeled the fancy clothing off, carelessly tossing the cardigan away and shimmying Daishou out of his super tight black jeans; all the while, Kuroo remained unaware of how intensely Suguru was watching his swollen stomach, daring to adjust a few fingers from the omega’s sides so that they were grazing the beginning of the stretch. _This…really isn’t right_ , the chaebol thought one last time, squeezing his eyes shut when Tetsurou teasingly pulled down Daishou’s underwear. _But…if he wants to, I guess it would be rude to refuse a pregnant omega…_

“Wait, we—I have to prep you,” Suguru sputtered, ignoring how embarrassingly hard he was as Kuroo prepared the condom. “Unless you want me to tear your ass in two like last time.”

“What do you think I was doing in the bathroom, Suguru-chan?” Tetsurou whispered against the corner of his lips.

“ _Jeez_ …”

“Hold on tight.”

Kuroo wasted no time before sliding the condom on (Daishou thankful Tetsurou didn’t comment on how wet he was), wrapping his arms around Suguru’s shoulders and hurriedly lining himself up, roughly sinking down and releasing a loud yelp. Was this really happening again?

“C-Careful,” The alpha warned through his pleasure, steadying Tetsurou’s hips as he adjusted. “Be careful…”

“Ahhh…”

Suguru wondered if every omega was as hot on the inside as Kuroo, or if it was just him; after this experience, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to ever sleep with a different omega. Whatever and however he did it, Kuroo made things feel so damn _good_ every single time—maybe this time the pleasure was increased by the few added pounds of the baby growing inside him, but whatever the reason, Daishou realized just how much he missed being so close to Tetsurou. His mind mentally replayed that night as Kuroo let himself adjust to Suguru’s size once more, ignoring all hesitance or regret and slowly moving up and down on the chaebol’s lap.

“You looked so _hot_ when you decked that guy,” He huffed, nails lightly digging into Suguru’s shoulders.

“R—Really?” Daishou asked over a groan, forcing his eyes to open. This proved to be a mistake, as the sight of a pregnant Kuroo Tetsurou sweating and whining on top of him was almost enough to make him cum on the spot.

“Mhm…you were so… _dominant_ ,” Kuroo moaned, pushing himself down as far as physics would allow. “Made me…feel safe.”

Suguru couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but there wasn’t much time for thinking, not when Tetsurou bounced so slowly, so deep the alpha could feel every ridge and turn inside the journalist; it was probably embarrassing how close to the edge he was already, but he figured Kuroo would give him a break, since they were still getting used to the whole sex thing. At least, Daishou _hoped_ that was the only reason he was close to cumming already…it couldn’t be because of old age, could it?

“I—always want you to…to feel safe,” Suguru choked out. “ _Ohhh_ …”

“Dai-chan… _Daishou_ …”

Tetsurou was disappointed to feel that he was already getting tired, but everything felt too good to stop, so he pushed his tender thighs to move faster, catching the alpha by surprise when he pressed their fronts together while rocking to help along his own arousal, aching cock dragging over Suguru’s abs.

“F-Fuck,” The chaebol whined in a strangled voice, pulling Kuroo even closer. “Tetsurou…”

The press of Kuroo’s stomach against his own was enough for Daishou to snap, hips jolting and spasming upwards as he finished hard inside the condom, the journalist above him continuing their assault even after the fact, sending Suguru into a state of nearly painful overstimulation. He couldn’t tell Kuroo to stop, however, didn’t want him to stop, whining and moaning into the omega’s neck while the final waves of orgasm rippled through his muscles. Tetsurou finally stopped moving, utterly exhausted from the effort, and even through the midst of his own pleasure, Suguru managed to move his hand from Kuroo’s waist to his cock, making the other boy whimper tiredly.

“Dai— _Daishou_ , please I can’t,” He whined desperately, tears pooling at the corner of his hazel eyes as he pushed even closer to Suguru. “Please, I _need_ to…I need…”

“Okay,” Daishou swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut with lingering ecstasy, furiously working the omega, fingers brushing against Kuroo’s tummy every other stroke— “I’ve got you.”

“Ah— _Ah_!”

Tetsurou let the tears fall as he came messily in Suguru’s hand and on the chaebol’s stomach, wailing and groaning all the while, clinging to his enemy for dear life. Who would’ve thought their afternoon would turn out like this following a dramatic grocery store incident? When the final aftershocks coursed through Kuroo’s veins, he felt himself being readjusted on the couch and covered with a blanket, now laying on top of the alpha while still “suffering” through jolts of pleasure every time a particularly hot patch of snake skin brushed against him. Heavy breathing echoed off the walls in the living room, forcing Tetsurou to remember the person he was laying with; when he finally recovered, the journalist dared to peek his eyes open, met with the pretty sight of Daishou’s sweaty collarbones and a few light pink marks at the bottom of his frail neck.

 _Is it bad that I want to do it again?_ Kuroo thought with shame, burying his face in the alpha’s chest.

“You comfortable?” Suguru exhaled finally, pulling the blanket further over Tetsurou’s bare shoulders.

“Mmm…I love laying on snake skin…”

“Gross.”

“Speaking of gross, we should probably clean up a little,” Kuroo sighed tiredly. He really didn’t want to get up right now; it was too early in the day for looking his disgusting self in the mirror. “ _Ughh_ …I don’t wanna get up…”

“Move a little,” Daishou ordered, poking the boy’s side lightly. “I’ll do it.”

True to his word, the serpent grabbed a tissue from the coffee table and managed to wipe their bodies off pretty well from the weird angle his hand was bent at—the hardest part was slipping out of Kuroo and sliding the used condom off without wiping cum everywhere, but he managed okay, although he did almost “accidentally” drop it on Tetsurou’s face at one point…once he finished, they relaxed back into their lazy pose, Suguru not hesitating to wrap his arms around the omega underneath the blanket. Having sex in the late afternoon was weird because Kuroo could see everything as clear as day, including the chaebol’s stupidly handsome face, since he was partially lying on his side as to not crush his stomach against Suguru’s (though given how much he touched it during sex, Daishou probably wouldn’t mind much.) They must have both been thinking the same thing, because they didn’t make eye contact or say anything for a long moment.

“You sure my fat ass isn’t crushing you?” Kuroo mumbled against Suguru’s hot skin.

“You’re not _fat_ , and no, neither you nor the baby are crushing me.”

“Mk.”

Huddled together for warmth like this, Daishou’s instincts couldn’t really resist scenting the pregnant omega laying atop his naked body, gently sending his scent over in warm waves; Kuroo pretended not to notice, if only to avoid the alpha seeing how much he enjoyed the sensation. Suguru’s fingers kept tracing over invisible lines on Tetsurou’s forearm under the blanket, touching so gently it was almost unbelievable to both parties—lying here together, in the middle of the afternoon with a sore wrist and an even sorer body thanks to a certain omega, Daishou found it difficult to believe that…he hadn’t developed some sort of romantic feelings towards Kuroo. Enemies didn’t sleep together, did they? Guys who accidentally impregnated their enemies didn’t sleep with them again, right? If they weren’t enemies anymore, as they promised each other…well, what the hell were they? Suguru wanted to ask, but his pride prevented him from opening up that much, and so, he remained quiet, anxiously questioning his sanity as his touch moved from Tetsurou’s arm to his swollen stomach. This was the first time Kuroo had allowed him so close, allowed him such a euphoric sensation…it calmed his heartrate down enough where the omega wasn’t afraid to speak, no longer fearful of where Suguru’s thoughts were lingering. Apparently the feel of their child was more than enough to ease his nerves, and the unbelievable ache in his wrist; tis the love of a father.

“Suguru?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks for sticking up for me,” Tetsurou whispered gratefully. “I’m…really glad you were there.”

“I’ll always stick up for you, Kuroo,” Suguru mumbled against the omega’s shoulder, warm palm settling over the swollen area of Kuroo’s tummy. “I promised to make sure no harm came to you or the baby, remember?”

“I don’t remember, but I believe you.”

Daishou huffed to himself, pulling Kuroo just a bit closer to his bare chest as they fell into a comfortable slumber together, though they both found themselves unable to ignore their feelings of contentment like the last few times.

 

_November 17 th_

_Kuroo’s 21 st birthday_

The weekend of Kuroo’s birthday party had arrived quickly, the fried pickles all made up (two-hundred of them), the orange flavored but red tinted punch concocted perfectly, and every guest had arrived on time; Suguru had the honor of seeing a few old volleyball chums again, including Yaku and Kai, the other troublesome third-year cats, as well as that quiet, even more troublesome setter Kenma Kozume, who skipped introductions and hid in a corner playing a video game. Not that Suguru minded in the slightest. He wasn’t playing things very cool, obsessively wondering if everyone could tell he and Kuroo had sex the other day, if they could smell the residue in the air, if they could tell just by the way they acted around each other…to say the least, Suguru was a mess. Tetsurou, on the other hand, wasn’t too anxious considering he had to admit that the infamous chaebol of Japan was, in fact, the father of his child, but Mori was there to hush any insecurities he had, and so, the omega was able to enjoy his party from the very start.

He was also thoroughly enjoying the fried pickles Daishou made with love and care, able to ignore the way everyone made fun of the stupid “family picture” framed and sitting on the coffee table.

“So, Kuroo-kun,” Yaku began as the third-years caught up on the couch. “How’s the pregnancy been going so far?”

“Pretty good!” Kuroo replied honestly, munching on his tenth pickle. “The tiredness is hard to get over sometimes, but I haven’t been _terribly_ moody yet.”

“How’s…you know,” The shorter boy whispered, nodding to where Suguru stood with Akaashi and Konoha in the kitchen. “The snake?”

“Fine,” Kuroo chuckled. “We’re working things out nicely, to be honest.”

“That’s good,” Kai nodded. “And you’re not having any cravings at all?”

“No, and it’s kinda weird!”

Kai snickered as Tetsurou grabbed two more fried pickles from the plate on the coffee table, hurriedly shoving them in his mouth and groaning with delight; he noticed a hidden expression in Yaku’s copper eyes, turning to stare at him in questioning, only to be ignored.

“…Yaku.” Kuroo addressed.

“What?” The blonde said innocently.

“You can say it.”

“Say what?” Morisuke scoffed.

“Whatever you want to say about Suguru.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything…”

“He already got all his anger out on the way here,” Kai informed the omega. “And I had to listen the entire way, so thanks a lot.”

Bokuto’s friend Konoha had come, joking and messing with Akaashi, per usual, and Kiyoko was having mild fun playing dolls with Bokuto behind the couch. Overall, the party wasn’t that big, but Suguru found himself not as unhappy as he expected to be; there still remained, however, a huge concern harassing his brain whenever he spotted a very similar set of greying messy black hair bouncing around the apartment. Mori Kuroo had yet to be officially introduced to the alpha who impregnated his only child, and the longer the wait, the more anxious Suguru became. Of course, he had only heard good things about Mori, but how would _Daishou_ react if he met the fancy punk who knocked-up his son while they were still in college and not dating? He’d be pissed off. Maybe Mori would deck him. Maybe he would confront him in front of everyone, demanding the rich boy to pay up and just ask Kuroo to marry him already—

“Oy, Daishou-chan,” Tetsurou called. He held the empty plate in the air obnoxiously. “We need some more pickles over here!”

“Coming right up, your majesty,” Suguru sighed, getting to work as Akaashi and Konoha shuffled into the living room. Kiyoko decided to sort Kuroo’s waiting birthday presents with Yaku’s help, Bokuto sliding into the empty spot beside his best friend for some party gossip. Tetsurou briefly noticed his father stand-up from the chair near the TV, but found his attention locked on Bokuto as he began whispering about the latest development between he and Akaashi.

“Dude. I am forty-seven percent sure Akaashi wants to marry me,” Koutarou giggled, wide yellow eyes beaming over at Kuroo. “I asked him the other day if he would really be annoyed spending all eternity with me, and he said—get this—‘it wouldn’t be the worst thing I can think of’!”

“Wow. It’s a miracle,” The omega snickered.

“I know! I think I’m going to try and get up my courage now, so in maybe ten-years or so, I’ll have enough to ask him to marry me.”

“Maybe I’ll do the same thing to my baby daddy; although he’s the one who should cough up the ring. I’m not made of money like he is.”

“Speaking of snake boy…” Bokuto hummed, looking over at Kuroo with a raised eyebrow. “You haven’t complained about him that much lately. What’s been going on?”

Tetsurou’s pause was a questionable one, causing the alpha to deepen his look and turn fully towards his bestie. The journalist collected his words, making sure nobody else was listening as he leaned close, talking lowly with only a _tiny_ bit of shame, recalling the dramatic events in the past few days that led to him voluntarily sleeping with Suguru. Twice. Maybe it was three times, technically…

“I may or may not have slept with Suguru again,” Kuroo admitted.

“You _WHAT?!_ ” Bokuto shouted, getting a smack on the arm.

“ _Shhhhhh_!!!”

As Koutarou stared at Kuroo in absolute shock, something interesting was going on in the kitchen. Mori Kuroo had made his way over to where Daishou was readying more fried pickles on a plate for Tetsurou. The younger alpha nearly pissed his pants when he turned around and came face to face with the man, mouth dropping open, as this was his first meeting with Kuroo’s father since the whole knocked-up in college incident. He stood there like an idiot until Mori broke the ice, smiling over at him kindly.

“You must be Suguru,” Mori said politely, bowing his head slightly. “I’m Mori Kuroo; Tetsurou’s father. Nice to meet you.”

“O-Oh, _yes_ , it’s an honor to meet you, Kuroo-san, your son has told me a lot about you!” Suguru stuttered, bowing lowly and almost knocking himself out on the counter while nearly sending the plate of pickles flying. “How…How are you?”

Kuroo senior chuckled lowly, totally at ease despite Suguru’s anxiety; still, the younger alpha couldn’t help but wonder if he could smell the guilt on him, since he did know Tetsurou more than anyone…

_Does he know I’m still kind of sleeping with his son?! He can tell. He can so totally tell! I’m fucked._

“You’re a lot more respectful than how Tetsu described you,” Mori said thoughtfully. “I’m very happy to hear that you’re sticking around and helping with you and Tetsurou’s baby; it really means a lot to me, and I appreciate your effort.”

Daishou hadn’t really seen that coming. His mouth was still hanging open, but he suddenly remembered his business manners and shut it quickly, slowly nodding in confirmation. How come Kuroo’s father was so willing to give compliments, but Kuroo himself only said them in a mocking, bitter tone? They would have to discuss it later.

“O-Oh, well…”

“If my son gives you any heck, you let me know, alright?”

“Um…alright,” Suguru nodded. “T-Thank you?”

Back on the couch, Koutarou was having another mental breakdown as he begged Kuroo to explain further, to explain what the hell possessed him to sleep with Suguru _again_.

“But why?! _Why_ Kuroo, _why_?!” Bokuto quietly wailed at his ex-roommate.

“I don’t know! It’s like I’ve become a total slut for the damn guy or something,” Kuroo shook his head, keeping his tone low. “I just can’t stop thinking about him and eventually I get horny and one thing leads to another…”

“Jeez…can you say kink crisis?” Bokuto sighed, falling back into the couch. “And I thought _Akaashi_ had some weird—”

Kuroo kicked his friend in the shin, noticing that Akaashi had narrowed his eyes at the mention of his name and was now making his way over to their huddle. The thick alpha quietly whimpered in fear, sitting up straighter when his boyfriend came over.

“What are you guys talking about?” The dark-haired omega asked coolly.

“Oh! Nothing, Kaashi!”

“Uh huh. Are you harassing Kuroo on his birthday, Bokuto-san?”

“No, I swear!” Koutarou cried, only to be grabbed by his ear and tugged off the couch. “ _Ow_! Kaashi!”

“Come on. I don’t want you embarrassing me anymore today,” Keiji mumbled, making Kuroo snicker. “Leave Kuroo-san in peace.”

“I swear I wasn’t doing anything!”

“Yeah,” Tetsurou said to himself thoughtfully, watching as Kiyoko pinched Bokuto’s belly, per her father’s orders. “That guy definitely needs a solid ten-years…”

“Say, did I hear that you own an Acura? Those are handsome cars. I’m a mechanic, so handsome cars are my life,” Mori laughed, continuing his conversation with Suguru in the kitchen. “How fast can you get it to go?”

“Well, I haven’t gotten it up that fast yet, but supposedly it can get up to 180 miles per hour.”

“Wowwww…has Kuroo gotten to drive yet?”

“Not yet,” Daishou admitted. _Like hell I’d ever let Kuroo drive my precious car…yeah right._ “Maybe after the baby’s born he can give it a whirl. You’re welcome to it anytime, though, being a professional car person like yourself.”

“Aw, you flatter me—I’ve only been at it for a good twenty-years! It’s the forty-year point where you’re considered an expert.”

“But I’m sure with your skills, you’d be able to take care of it better than I can.”

“I don’t mean to cause alarm,” Konoha snickered to Kuroo, nodding at the scene in the kitchen. “But I think Suguru’s flirting with your dad.”

“Gross!” The omega cried. “Bokuto—go tell snake boy I want my presents _now_!”

“On it!” Koutarou cheered, jumping away from Akaashi’s scolding. “OY, SUGURU—Kuroo wants to open presents! And where are those fried pickles, I’m starving!!!”

“Ah—right,” Suguru said, setting the pickles down to take the barbeque wings out of the oven. “Excuse me, Kuroo-san. I must comply to your son’s demands.”

“I hear ya,” Mori snickered.

“Dad!” Tetsurou whined from his spot on the couch.

“Here’s your boneless wings, your majesty,” Daishou mumbled as he brought the plate of wings into the living room, setting them on the coffee table in front of Kuroo. “Honey barbeque boneless wings, just like you wanted.”

“Mmm…actually, I just want more fried pickles,” The omega said, reaching for the plate Bokuto brought over. “And can I have more punch, please?”

“What do you mean you just want pickles?” Suguru hissed. “You said the other day if you didn’t get wings for your birthday you would strangle me with my own tail!”

“Well, now I changed my mind. It’s cool, they’ll get eaten, Suguru—Bokuto loves wings, right?”

“Hell yeah!”

Akaashi smacked his boyfriend on the back of the head as everyone settled down to eat, Daishou seething from Kuroo’s stupid cravings and his stupid pickle breath and his stupid happy expression…Mori was so much more pleasant to be around. He was always happy and positive, keeping the conversation alive when everyone else was too busy glaring at Suguru or stuffing their faces. Mori was a nice guy. Thinking of how lucky Kuroo was to have such a father got Suguru thinking about his own father, and after glancing at his cell phone he saw his mom had left a text message (supposedly from both of them), telling their son to say happy birthday to Kuroo. He didn’t right away, choosing to sit back and watch Tetsurou open his presents from everyone before making things awkward by mentioning his own parents, which would then lead to weird questions about why they weren’t there, why Suguru hadn’t invited them, etc. etc. Daishou didn’t want to ruin Kuroo’s birthday, despite his insulting jabs and refusal to eat boneless wings, and so, kept his mouth shut the entire time, allowing Tetsurou to have fun with his old friends and father while opening his presents like a little kid. Bokuto got him that fancy ass quilt that knocked the socks off every other gift already, Akaashi got him a gift card for a ramen place he loved, and along with a nice drawing of a very pregnant Kuroo, Kiyoko made him a cute little doll for the baby, and despite how much Suguru _hated_ dolls, he would admit this one was actually pretty dang adorable. Kuroo was glad he didn’t make a jab about how boys or alphas shouldn’t play with dolls or some shit.

“Kiyoko, I can’t believe you made this!” Tetsurou marveled, investigating the quality of the doll. “This is great! Thanks so much!”

“Better do mine next, before it’s put to shame by all the other gifts,” Mori laughed while handing his son the gift he wrapped. “I didn’t know what to get you this year, so I just piled up a bunch of your mother’s things she used during her pregnancy. And there’s a few new things in there as well.”

“Way to ruin the surprise, Mori-san!” Bokuto cried.

“This is really great,” Kuroo smiled quietly as he opened the box full of his mother’s old things. “Wow…is this my old bib?”

“Stains and all,” Mori nodded at the cat-themed bib Kuroo held up. “Still as cute as ever.”

“Wait till you see baby pictures of Kuroo, Suguru-kun,” Yaku said, nudging his arm. “He was a real chubby baby.”

“I-I wasn’t _chubby_ , I was just round!”

“You were pretty chubby, Tetsurou.”

“Dad, why are you betraying me like this?!”

“Just want to make sure Daishou-kun knows what he’s getting into.”

Everyone laughed as blush overcame Kuroo’s cheeks, though he really wasn’t embarrassed all that much. He opened Kai and Yaku’s presents next, overjoyed at the Japanese National volleyball team jersey and the omega video about giving birth and all that fun shit; Konoha got him a “best mom” mug, the quiet Kenma gave him a virtual dog video game that was meant to help with his parenting skills. That one got a good laugh, but made Suguru incredibly nervous for his gift to be opened, especially since it was the last one and couldn’t compare to the quilt Bokuto got him that had pictures of he and Kuroo all over the fabric. None of the less, Tetsurou faked excitement when it came time to open the final gift.

“Wow, that’s some pretty wrapping paper,” Mori complimented as Kuroo tore open the paper, prying the tape off the box. “This one’s from you, Daishou?”

“Ah…yeah. It’s…nothing special, really,” Suguru shrugged, wringing his hands together nervously. “You can return them if you want.”

“Don’t be silly, Dai-chan,” Kuroo said while ripping the box open. “At the very least, I’ll hide them somewhere where I can’t—”

Honestly, Tetsurou was expecting to see an engagement ring inside the box, and although he was happy to _not_ find that item, he felt a little conflicted, so to speak, because the actual gifts Suguru got him were nothing short of amazing. Everyone ooed when a starry-eyed Kuroo took out the entire box set of _Goblin_ , knowing how much he loved that particular kdrama, and Bokuto even let out a wail when he saw the complete video of Japan’s 1972 Men’s Volleyball Olympic matches, including the gold medal match and awards ceremony. What shook Kuroo the most was a pair of fancy silver keys lying at the bottom of the box hooked on a keychain with a black cat head on it. Akaashi broke the shocked silence, asking the question everyone (especially Kuroo) wanted an answer for.

“You…You got Kuroo-kun a _car_?”

“No no no,” Suguru almost laughed. “Those are just spares to my Acura; you know…in case you need to drive somewhere or something.”

“Are you _kidding_ me right now, Suguru?!” Bokuto whined, golden eyes wide as he shouted at the chaebol. “No gift can compete with that!”

“Huh?”

“I told you we should’ve gotten him some kdrama videos!” Yaku hissed at Kai, who shrugged innocently.

“I don’t understand,” Daishou said mostly to himself, confused at how quiet Tetsurou was being and how shook everyone else looked. “Those are the crappiest gifts I’ve ever given someone. I only through the keys in there as a back-up for the other two because I didn’t know what to get him!”

“Dude, you stuck all three of Kuroo’s top loves in one box—volleyball, hot Korean people and you!” Bokuto claimed, getting a sputtering glance from his best friend at the last mention. “You win! I give up!”

“Win _what_?!”

“Don’t be going fast and furious in that car, now, Tetsurou,” His father warned. “I know speed is tempting, but you must treat all cars respectfully.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kuroo replied blankly. He was stuck in his own little world, wondering how the hell Suguru knew to get him the one kdrama video he didn’t have yet, and while the journalist understood how Daishou understood his love for volleyball, it just…seemed so _odd_. Suguru got him good presents. He threw him a party and made him fried pickles and boneless wings, resisting the urge to beat the shit out of the omega when he didn’t want wings anymore; he talked to his dad and friends, despite his grudge with the Nekoma team from years before, he ordered the exact cake Kuroo wanted and…basically arranged everything so Tetsurou could have a great birthday.

For one of the first times since this arrangement began, he finally believed Daishou when the latter said he had matured since high school.

“These are really great, Daishou,” Tetsurou admitted in a shaky voice, giving him a small smile as he cradled the DVD set in his hands like a precious artifact. “Thank you.”

“Ah—yeah. You’re welcome.”

Kuroo decided to let him off the hook and not mention the alpha’s blushing cheeks; he bit down his tears (whether they were caused by hormones or Suguru’s change of character), hiding it by peering down at the shiny silver keys before asking Bokuto to bring the cake out. Once the birthday talk was out of the way, the guests began asking more questions about Tetsurou’s pregnancy.

“How are you feeling so far, Kuroo-kun?” Yaku asked curiously, still in disbelief that his ex-captain had gone off and gotten pregnant by their worst enemy.

“Well, the first trimester is supposed to be the easiest, so I’m hanging in there pretty well,” Kuroo shrugged, downing the last of the punch like there was no tomorrow. “I mostly just get spells of fatigue and stuff. Morning sickness is mostly over, now.”

“When’s your next doctor’s appointment?”

“In December,” Suguru answered for him. He had all the doctor appointment dates memorized. “Another ultrasound, I believe; he’ll be roughly four months along by then, so if we want, we could find out the gender of the baby this next trip.”

“Are you going to?” Akaashi questioned, running his hands through a sleepy Kiyoko’s hair.

“Did you do that with Kiyoko?” Mori asked.

“No; I wanted it to be a surprise the first time around,” He answered, Bokuto going quiet and thoughtful next to him. The alpha didn’t notice how those emerald eyes glanced towards him when Keiji spoke again. “Though, if I ever have another child…I think I’d want to know the gender. Just so I know what I’m getting myself into.”

“We…haven’t really discussed it, yet,” Kuroo admitted, absentmindedly rubbing his tummy. “But I think it’s going to be twin boys.”

“Twins?!” Mori exclaimed excitedly. “You really think so, Tetsurou?!”

“I’ll be starting the betting system pretty soon,” Bokuto grinned. “My money’s that it’s a girl.”

“No way—it’s gotta be a boy,” Kai shook his head.

“I’m the godfather, what I say goes!”

“Well I’m the grandpa, and I say it’ll be a boy,” Mori added with a smile. “But no matter who they are, we’ll love them all the same, right?”

“Right.” Suguru nodded, shooting a glare Bokuto’s way. “And their precious godfather better feel the same way.”

Koutarou stuck his tongue out at the snake, making Kuroo roll his eyes as Yaku asked another question.

“Are you two prepared at all?” He wondered, narrowing his own eyes at his ex-volleyball rival. “Do you have the baby room ready yet?”

“Dude, the baby’s not coming until spring,” Tetsurou reasoned. “No need to rush everything.”

“Do you at least have the color scheme picked out yet?”

“What did I just say, Yaku-kun?”

“Kiyoko’s room was a lavender color,” Akaashi remembered fondly, peering down at his daughter who was just about ready to take a nap on his lap. “Not to tell you what to do or anything, but I thought it was a nice neutral shade, since I didn’t know she was a girl.”

“That’s a very polite suggestion, _Akaashi_ ,” Kuroo stressed, making Yaku roll his eyes. “I’ll consider that.”

“I actually have some color samples here,” Suguru interrupted, shuffling through the crumpled wrapping paper on the coffee table to grab the color swatches. “Take a look. I marked the ones I thought were nice.”

“Looks like Suguru-kun’s ahead of the game,” Konoha commented as Tetsurou began flipping through the color scheme options. “At least he’s a prepared alpha, right, Kuroo?”

“Yeah…”

“There has to be a laid-back parent and a parent with a stick up their butt,” Bokuto snickered. “Kuroo’s the laid-back one like Mori.”

“Which does that make me, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi raised a challenging eyebrow.

“Uhh…you—you’re the laid back one, of course, Keiji! Haha! Obviously I’m the one with a stick up my butt…”

“Whipped,” Kenma mumbled from his corner.

The day continued happily, impressed by the story of what happened in the grocery store a few days before, per noticing Suguru’s wrapped right wrist; it seemed to make Mori worry even more than usual, but Bokuto had never liked Suguru more, acting chummy with him for the remainder of the day. Everyone laughed and ate and chatted until it was time for the guests to be heading home for the day, exchanging goodbyes and final congratulations for Suguru and Kuroo; it was really nice being with friends and family again. Tetsurou couldn’t remember the last time they were all together like this. He honestly kind of wished Daishou’s parents had crashed the party, because angry Suguru was too entertaining to pass-up; Sora Suguru did wish him a happy birthday, through her son and a fancy card, and although Kuroo guessed the alpha’s father had sent one as well, Daishou didn’t reply that message as an act of defiance. Snakes could be so petty sometimes. Mori offered to stay and help clean up, despite their protests, and after allowing him to at least collect the torn wrapping paper up and put it in a garbage bag, they finally said their goodbyes; he was mostly concerned about Kuroo not treating Suguru’s Acura with respect, giving him lecture after lecture on it until his son reminded him that he wouldn’t be driving anytime soon, since he was, in fact, pregnant. Suguru felt pretty stupid for giving Kuroo that gift after remembering that, but it was too late now, so he kept his mouth shut and said goodbye to Mori, thanking him for everything. Once everyone was gone, Tetsurou plopped onto the couch with a tired sigh, the alpha following after and repeating the same action.

“That was fun,” Kuroo smiled lazily, happy to have quiet back in the apartment. “I’ve missed those guys a lot.”

“I forgot how many questions you have to answer as a parent,” Suguru exhaled heavily. “Think of how much we’ll have to talk when the kid actually _gets_ here.”

“Speaking of which…any thoughts on what we should do about the gender? Do you want to know?”

“Ah…I…was kind of thinking I would like to know.”

“Me too,” Tetsurou nodded, surprising Suguru. “I mean, in another world, if we _somehow_ , through a series of dramatic extra- terrestrial events fell in love or some shit…I would like it to be a surprise.”

“But this isn’t an alternate universe.”

“Right. So I think, since we have so many other details to worry about, we should just find out next month and get that out of the way. That way we can have at least the baby room and accessories ready; we won’t have to run around worrying about changing everything when the baby gets here.”

“Good point,” Suguru nodded, ignoring how cute Kuroo’s belly looked pressed up against his white dress shirt. “So that detail is settled—we’ll find out the gender of baby Suguru next month.”

“Baby _who_ now?”

“Jeez, let’s not start this argument again,” The alpha groaned, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. “You can call them baby Kuroo, and I’ll call them baby Suguru.”

“…Fine.”

The omega suddenly hopped up, feeling full of energy (probably from all those fried pickles) and ready to take on the world. Meanwhile, Suguru was giving him a dead look, exhausted from the day’s anxieties.

“Let’s go do something!”

“ _What_?”

“I’m feeling stuffy—let’s go do something fun!”

“Ugh…alright. We’ll go for a walk; the books say you should take a walk at least twice a week during the early stages of your pregnancy,” Daishou informed the other as Kuroo hurried to put his jacket on. “Put your scarf on, it’s a little chilly today.”

“Oh great. I seriously can’t wait for spring, even if I am supposed to give birth during that time; winter is a snotty little bitch when it comes to weather.”

“I hear ya.”

The boys threw their scarves on, leaving the mess of their apartment behind as Suguru led them down the sidewalk, thankful someone had sprinkled ice melt on the exit way so no one would slip; the winter air was cold against their cheeks, but the sun was out and shining brightly, making it seem like spring was just around the corner. Daishou became quiet and thoughtful as Kuroo hummed “Spring Day” under his breath as they walked slower than usual (per Kuroo’s waddling), content to reflect silently on their successful birthday party; Suguru, meanwhile, thought about futuristic things, curtesy of Yaku bringing the subject up earlier. Three months had already passed in the blink of an eye. Who’s to say Daishou would turn around and be holding a baby in his arms in what seemed like tomorrow? It made him nervous to think that far ahead, so he settled with wondering how Kuroo would function when he became heavily pregnant, when his hormone level began bouncing off the walls…would he throw stuff at Suguru in fits of rage, or would he bawl his eyes out? Would he refuse to let Suguru even touch his arm, or would he suddenly become a horny sex maniac with no respect towards this weird relationship they were trying to build for the sake of their child? Daishou still couldn’t stop thinking about the other day, still couldn’t come to grip with his developing feelings towards the omega…it seemed Kuroo’s thoughts were drifting this way as well, because he broke the silence to ask Suguru why his face looked so weird.

“What’s that face for?” He questioned, jabbing a finger into the alpha’s cheek.

“What face?” Daishou feigned innocence, shoving Kuroo’s hand away.

“That weird, deep in thought face; what are you thinking so heavily about?”

“Oh. It’s nothing, really, just…I was thinking how next year on your birthday…we’ll have a _kid_. Instead of just sitting back and eating like we did today, we’ll be stepping out of the room every ten-minutes to change diapers and feed the baby; it’s kind of cool to think about, don’t you think?” Suguru asked hesitantly.

“…Yeah. I suppose it is kind of cool,” Tetsurou replied, staring up at the blue sky. “I’m super excited for December—I mean, I already love Christmas more than I love myself, but now we’ll get to find out the gender of baby Kuroo, and add Christmas on _top_ of that? December is gunna be bitchin!”

“Speaking of topping…”

“Oh no. Don’t start this conversation, Daishou.”

“I just want to know once and for all, Kuroo,” The chaebol began seriously, stepping over a small pile of snow blocking his path. “Do you want to top me next time we have sex?”

“W-What?! _Next_ time? Are you crazy? Did you sneak too much vodka into your punch, Suguru?”

“ _You’re_ the one who came onto _me_ , rooster-haired bastard! I’m just asking a simple question so I can be ready!”

“Hey! I didn’t _want_ to come onto you, Suguru, but my hormones made me!” Kuroo claimed pathetically, trying to hide his blush. “How was I supposed to react when you decked a guy for me?!”

“I don’t know, you could say ‘thank you’ like a normal person!”

“That’s so lame! How am I supposed to get my emotions out, then?”

“Hug me next time or something,” Suguru mumbled. “Don’t you want to hug me every time we part ways?”

“You said that, not me.”

The alpha grumbled to himself as Tetsurou giggled quietly. The streets of Tokyo were awfully quiet for a November day, but neither boy really minded; it would be nice when they could walk in spring together, not having to worry about wearing scarves and walking close together for warmth…not that Suguru minded doing that. Not at all. In fact, he was quite enjoying walking with Kuroo, and even told him so.

“This is nice,” The chaebol admitted quietly. “We should do this whenever the weather’s nice; it’ll be a nice way to get to know each other, plus, it’s good exercise for you. Don’t you think?”

“Wow,” Tetsurou said in surprise, glancing over at Suguru. “Who knew you could be so poeti—”

_BOOM!_

In the blink of an eye, Kuroo stepped right on a slippery patch of ice, slipping onto his left side after his foot slid out from underneath him, sending him crashing _hard_ into the concrete, giving no time to stop his fall. Suguru practically screamed the omega’s name bloody murder and fell onto his knees in a panic, heart stopping and pounding out his chest at the same time.

“KUROO!!!!!!”

Tetsurou’s hands immediately went to his tummy, holding onto it protectively as Daishou carefully leaned him upwards, cradling the journalist’s suddenly cold body against his own knees while checking for any visible damage. Snow covered his lower half, but frostbite was the least of their concerns right now. Later, perhaps, the thought would occur, but right now…

“Kuroo!!! Are you okay?!” Suguru rambled anxiously, touching the sensitive part of Kuroo’s hip. “Where does it hurt?!”

“I’m…I’m okay…”

Kuroo tried controlling his stuttering breathing, to no avail; he didn’t want to take his hand off his stomach, fearing the worst if he let go. Daishou’s hand was covering his own, being so careful as he softly touched every part of Tetsurou, trying to find any injuries so he could relieve the omega’s pain and anxiety. His hip hurt like hell, but he couldn’t even focus on the pain or the scraping of his skin because he was so worried, so panicked over what just happened, what he might have just done…

“Slowly! It’s okay!” The chaebol guided him onto his feet, voice high with panic. “There you go…it’s okay…”

Tetsurou managed to stand and at least act stable, with Suguru’s help, but he was still trembling head to toe as he looked downwards, making sure his stomach wasn’t visibly dented or damaged; in a flash, Kuroo finally understood the depth of parental worry. The guilt, the hatred he suddenly had for himself, for putting his unborn child in danger…it all fell on his fragile little heart. He didn’t _ever_ want to be the cause of his child suffering, but what if he was now? What if he had just injured their poor little baby? Suguru was breathless beside him, black dots flashing over his eyes, holding onto Kuroo with everything he had to make sure he was steady.

“Tetsurou. Are you okay?” The chaebol asked gently through his own hysteria. “Are you okay?”

“W-Will the baby be…are they okay?” Kuroo squeaked fearfully, looking over at Daishou with wide hazel eyes. “Are they okay? Did…Did I…”

“They’re okay. You just…fell on your side, right? On your hip?” Suguru confirmed, Kuroo nodding with suddenly tearful eyes. The alpha softly brushed the frost off Kuroo’s hip, trying not to scrape the injured skin underneath the student’s sweatpants. “Okay. That’s okay…it shouldn’t have harmed anything.”

“I’m sorry, I—I wasn’t—I didn’t _mean_ …I didn’t mean to—!”

“Shh, Kuroo, it’s okay. It’s _not_ your fault, okay?” Suguru hushed sweetly, touching Tetsurou’s cheek lightly. “It’s okay…let’s just go home, alright? We’ll go lay down. How does that sound? I’ll call the doctor, too, just to see if we should go in for a check-up. Does that sound okay, Kuroo?”

The omega nodded shakily, using Suguru for support as they turned around and _carefully_ headed back to the apartment, the alpha letting off a warning scent even though nobody passed by them; it comforted Kuroo’s nerves a little bit, though he was still sniffling and panicking by the time they made their way home. Daishou didn’t bother taking his shoes off, immediately taking Tetsurou to the bedroom and helping him lie on the bed on his uninjured hip; all the while, the omega never took one hand off his stomach, begging the gods above to let their baby be okay. Suguru left him for a moment to talk to their doctor, who said there was nothing to be alarmed about so long as Kuroo didn’t fall on his stomach, but offered them a quick appointment tomorrow if they wanted to check-up on things; per the omega’s whimpering, Suguru agreed, then jumped into bed facing Kuroo and helped comfortingly rub his tummy while scenting him gently.

“She said we can go in tomorrow, just to make sure nothing’s wrong,” Suguru broke the troubling silence. “Do you want me to call your dad?”

Kuroo shook his head violently, not wanting to drag his father into more of his troubles; Daishou said nothing more, doing his best to slow the journalist’s heartrate down to a healthy level as he recovered, trying to convince himself he hadn’t just destroyed one of the greatest things to happen to him, to _both_ of them—he wondered what Suguru would do if they lost the baby because of this. Would he leave and stop paying for the apartment? Would he berate Kuroo for not being careful enough, ridicule him in front of everyone? Would he take this guilt upon himself, hating those silly books he bought? Tetsurou didn’t want to find out. He didn’t want to find out that he hurt their innocent child, that he—

“Kuroo,” Daishou addressed calmly, making the other force his eyes open. “Stop thinking so much. You just fell on your hip; it’s highly, _highly_ unlikely anything bad happened to the baby because of that; just think of it as a fast movement. You can’t hurt the baby from fast movement, right? You didn’t hurt the baby when you and Bokuto wrestled the other day, so I doubt they even felt this. Got it?”

Kuroo didn’t reply with words, closing his eyes and tightening his grip around the alpha’s wrist as Suguru rubbed his stomach comfortingly, finally managing to slow Tetsurou’s heart down. They laid in tense silence for a long time, though neither was even close to falling asleep—when Kuroo opened his eyes to face his shame like a real parent, he found Daishou already gazing at him, narrow snake eyes locked on his face with an expressionless shade.

“What?” Tetsurou asked with a cracked voice. “I know I’m a bad parent, okay?”

“No no, that’s not…I just realized I forgot to wish you a happy birthday,” Suguru replied.

“Oh.”

The omega sniffled a few more times, forcing himself to remember Daishou’s calm reasoning from before.

“Sure you’re okay?” Suguru asked, stalling the tummy rub so he could focus his attention on Kuroo’s face.

“Yeah…just feel lousy. Like I wasn’t careful enough…”

God, Kuroo had been so fucking scared in that terrible, quick moment as he fell to the ice…it was like the world stopped to stare, watching as he failed, as he clung to the blue, spring-like sky for dear life, only to grasp at unattainable snowflakes that fell over him.

“It’s okay,” Suguru repeated, hand moving from the omega’s stomach to his hand. He grasped it tighter than Kuroo ever remembered. “You’re not in this alone—you have me. Remember?”

Unable to resist his ‘hormones,” Kuroo leaned forward and planted a sweet little kiss on Suguru’s lips, making the other extremely confused.

“I…really don’t know the boundaries in our relationship anymore,” Daishou admitted.

“Don’t think so much,” Tetsurou echoed. “Let’s nap, bitch.”

“But what about the mess in the living room?”

“ _Stop thinking so much_.”

Suguru huffed at the boy’s mockery in annoyance, though he wasn’t really annoyed at all. Truthfully, he felt as terrified as Kuroo did, maybe even more, since the walk had been his suggestion, but he took Kuroo’s (his own) advice and let his thoughts go blank, pretending not to notice as Tetsurou snuggled closer to him, hiding in the fancy chaebol scarf.

“…Suguru?”

“This okay? Anything hurting?”

“No, it’s…it’s just…you don’t have to sleep on the couch anymore. I mean, if you want to, that’s cool, but I feel bad, so…you can sleep with me in here, if you’re okay with it. I know I mentioned it before, but I really mean it.”

_Damn. I can’t let him know how happy that makes me; I need to act like I don’t want to sleep with him in this comfy-ass bed._

“It might help you and baby Suguru get some sleep in the long run…” Daishou replied slowly.

“You mean baby Kuroo.”

“Tch. _Yeah_ …baby Kuroo.”

The worried pair finally let their limbs relax, melting against each other, still dressed in their winter clothing as they allowed themselves to drift into a napping state that was broken by a few words from the omega, who had readjusted Suguru’s hand so that it was touching his stomach again, though he would never admit to it.

“Suguru,” Tetsurou mumbled one final time. “I’m really glad you’re here…”

At that, Daishou simply sighed, totally at a loss when it came to dealing with these weird feelings bubbling inside his stomach. He should have told Mori about his mixed emotions—he would probably help, even if he did find out about their recent sexual escapades and his only son’s weird power kinks…maybe he could consult the parenting books. There had to be something on teenage pregnancies, right?

 

“Just sleep,” Suguru whispered instead. “Happy birthday, Kuroo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DON'T WORRY, THE FALL DIDN'T HURT PRECIOUS BABY SUGURU (or is it baby kuroo?...)
> 
> Thanks for reading, this chapter was a bitch to write, but 32 pages later i did it! Until next time, i will be suffering in -35 degree weather. so wish my sorry ass luck.
> 
> Have a good day!  
> Love,  
> Bodhi


	4. "past the end of this cold winter"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> living christmas memes, kinky boys and baby gender reveals

 

_Past the end of this cold winter_

_Until the spring comes again_

_Until the flowers bloom again_

_Stay there a little longer_

_Stay there_

_December 8 th_

Kuroo’s favorite time of the year was upon them, and as difficult as it was becoming to walk around on his own, the omega did his best to find everyone the best Christmas presents poor man’s money could buy; Suguru kept bitching about how he just bought Kuroo presents for his birthday and that those were hard enough to find so he wouldn’t be buying him anything come Christmas Eve. Tetsurou remedied this situation by pulling out his hormones and jerking a few tears out, which broke Suguru down almost instantly—for his own sake, Kuroo hoped their kid wasn’t as much of a sucker as their father was.

The pair decorated a nice Christmas tree together, covering the apartment in a variety of Christmas themes and playing movies in the background endlessly until Suguru finally got tired of Kuroo crying at the end of _ELF_ every fucking time it was on. The last tests of the semester were upon Bokuto and the increasingly pregnant omega, Akaashi forcing his boyfriend to study, which then in turn gave Suguru the idea to help Kuroo, although he couldn’t really help because he didn’t know anything about journalism. He mostly sat by and gave useless business advice as Tetsurou sighed and rolled his eyes hundreds of times. Overall, the fourth month of pregnancy was going well enough, and although the slipping scare from their last walk was enough to make Kuroo never want to walk anywhere ever again, Suguru managed to get him out of the house at least twice a week for a stroll around the apartment complex, where the sidewalks had been cleared and salted. At the beginning of December, with some coaxing from Daishou, Tetsurou decided to take his leave from the café where he worked; his co-workers were sad to see him go and made him promise to give them updates on the baby. Of course, this topic brought up many bickering opportunities for the happy couple.

_“I haven’t even had the baby yet, and you’re already trying to make me into a desperate housewife!”_

_“It’s for you and the baby’s health, Kuroo. Get over it!”_

Today the weather wasn’t so cold, and even though snow had fallen over Tokyo the night before, Bokuto insisted he and Kuroo go Christmas shopping together as a celebration of finishing their final tests (though Tetsurou was pissed because their teacher still wanted them to turn in one last report). Suguru made them promise to be extra careful, as they had their big gender reveal appointment in the late afternoon; Bokuto assured the other alpha he would deck anyone who came within five-feet of Tetsurou, and the two went off into bustling Tokyo for some Christmas shopping. As much as Kuroo hated winter, he did like the way the white snow laid on the trees and the grass…though, in reality, snowfall made him realize how much closer he was to giving birth, but he tried looking on the bright side—he was already four months into his pregnancy, which meant he had yet to be as fat as he would get and that his worst mood swings were yet to come, so the quick waddling pace he set beside Bokuto was more cute than annoying. Kuroo figured once he hit month five everything would go downhill, and he wasn’t about to let his round belly and increasing annoyance with the world stop him from throwing out Christmas cheer—

Bokuto, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck about two very different subjects.

“Let me carry some bags, Bo,” Tetsurou insisted, trying to grab back the things he bought.

“No way!” The alpha insisted, lugging the bags higher up on his shoulders. “You’re not carrying anything, mister! What kind of godfather would I be if—”

“Jeez, would you shut up about that already?! This isn’t the Italian mafia, you can stop mentioning the word ‘godfather’ now!”

“Still, you’re not carrying anything. I won’t have that egg-laying snake boy getting after me for letting you overwork yourself.”

“Ugh…how come everyone’s turning against me this month?” Kuroo wondered as he followed Bokuto into a ring store. “No one gave a damn how many bags I carried four months ago!”

“You weren’t pregnant four months ago, _duh_ ,” Koutarou rolled his eyes, setting the bags down so he could look at the first row of engagement rings in the display case. “We only want what’s best for you and baby Kuroo—now quit your whining and help me pick out a ring for…” The alpha swallowed nervously. “ _Akaashi_.”

“I can’t believe you’re really doing this,” Tetsurou admitted with a smile, following an increasingly nervous Bokuto down the aisle. “And here you thought it’d take you ten-years to build up the courage to ask him to marry you.”

“Stop saying marry; it makes me anxious saying it out-loud!”

“Better get over that soon. You think people talk to me a lot when I’m pregnant? Well, they talk even _more_ when you’re engaged, so get ready, bucko.”

“Akaashi has greenish blue eyes,” Bokuto said thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes at the fancy rings below. “I don’t want to get him those stupid white rings like everyone else has…what would match greenish blue?”

“I don’t know…maybe green or blue?”

Koutarou thought about this possibility for a second, Kuroo hardly stopping a sigh when the alpha’s eyes lit-up happily in realization.

“Hey, you’re right! Let’s go look at the colored ones!”

The omega let himself be dragged over to the colored ring section, hardly able to snatch their bags before he was carried away, scanning over the diamonds as Bokuto bounced around nervously, eyes narrowing at the row of shiny engagement rings staring back up at him. There were pink and red ones, green and black ones, but almost immediately Koutarou’s eyes caught sight of a pretty blue ring sitting alone to the right of the other rings—he scooted over quickly, leaning his face further down to see things more clearly: the ring had a thin silver band, perfect for Akaashi’s long slender fingers, with two crystal vines leading up to deep blue diamonds sitting beside the main crystal, which was in a rose formation and tinted the slightest bit light blue, petals alternating between silver bands and crystal ropes. The longer Bokuto stared, the more he could imagine Akaashi wearing it, lifting a hand up to brush a strand of hair off his forehead and allowing the dark sapphire color to merge with the cool tones of his pretty eyes. Even Kuroo was entranced by it, a bit envious because despite his panic over thinking Suguru had gotten him an engagement ring for his birthday; the idea of getting married to a rich-ass future company executive didn’t sound so bad right now, especially after how much money he had just spent on Christmas gifts…

“That one’s really nice,” Tetsurou commented, pointing at the blue ring. “Lucky for your struggling bank account, colored rings are cheaper than the regular white ones.”

“Hey, no insulting my bank account! Yours is going to be more drained than mine once baby Suguru comes!”

Kuroo gasped in shock just as a familiar looking worker came up to their counter, eyeing them suspiciously as Bokuto addressed him.

“E-Excuse me! How much is this ring right here?” The alpha asked, pointing to the one he had his heart set on.

“Excellent choice, sir; this is from the Vera Wang _Love_ collection, diamond and blue sapphire swirl in 14 karat white gold, priced at $2,579.” The blonde worker answered.

“Two-hundred and seventy-four thousand yen,” Kuroo hummed. “For an engagement ring, that’s actually not that bad.”

Bokuto wasn’t listening, nor did he recognize the worker Tetsurou was trying to put a name on; he couldn’t look away from that blue ring, unable to stop imagining Akaashi wearing it to work every day, touching the blue stone whenever he was nervous or missing his alpha, how it matched both the green and the blue in his eyes perfectly, and also matched Kiyoko’s perfectly…of course, he still had to ask Kiyoko if he could marry her dad, but she liked him, so Bokuto was confident her answer would be yes. _Eventually_ yes, at least…

“Do I know you from somewhere?” Tetsurou finally asked the stiff worker.

“Yes,” The boy mumbled, narrowing his eyes at the omega. “I played on Nohebi’s volleyball team. Isumi Sakishima.”

“Ahhh so that’s what it was. I remember, now; you were the setter.”

“Yes. And now you’re having Suguru-kun’s baby.”

Before Kuroo could open his mouth to rebuttal or lie, Bokuto’s hand shot out to point at the blue ring with determination.

“This one. I’d like this one, please.”

“Are you sure, Bo? We only looked for like, two-minutes…”

“I’m sure. This is the one.”

“Very well,” Isumi nodded, opening the case to get the item number off the ring’s tag. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“That’s it?” Kuroo asked. “Not gunna ask about his fiancé or anything? Where they’re getting married? How long they’ve been together? Isn’t that part of your job description, Isumi-kun?”

As if Isumi didn’t already dislike Kuroo enough…

The setter scowled darkly and turned back around, giving Bokuto a careless look as he sighed and asked about his soon-to-be fiancé.

“…Fine. Tell me about your fiancé.”

“I’m so glad you asked!” Bokuto cheered. “His name is Akaashi Keiji, and he’s the most _perfect_ person in the whole wide world! We’ve been dating for what seems like forever, and he has this cute little daughter named Kiyoko who looks just like him, and…”

Kuroo smiled the entire eleven-and-a-half minutes Bokuto ranted about his precious boyfriend to Isumi before finally allowing him to go retrieve the blue ring from the stock room. The best friends high-fived and giggled to themselves until the worker returned, letting Bokuto look over the ring one last time before he closed the deal; after twirling the band around for a minute or two, just imagining the priceless expression on Akaashi’s face when Koutarou slid the blue ring onto his finger, the alpha nodded his head certainly and whipped out his credit card.

“It’s perfect,” He whispered with a blushing smile. “I’ll take it.”

Honestly, Tetsurou was a bit surprised they hadn’t spent hours upon hours roaming the ring store searching for a perfect ring that only existed in Bokuto’s wildest fantasy. His friend was acting like a weird adult guy today, and as much as it freaked him out, it also made him incredibly proud, and he watched with a grin as Koutarou paid for the ring himself, rocking back and forth on his heels as they nervously watched Isumi box the ring up.

“Congratulations,” Isumi said in a monotone voice, carefully handing Bokuto the little bag. “I hope you and Akaashi have a wonderful life together.”

“Thanks! We totally will!”

“…And congratulations to you as well, Kuroo-kun.”

“Ah…thanks.”

“I don’t know if you and Suguru-kun will be happy together, but I at least hope your child is happy.”

“So do I,” Tetsurou smiled, although the remark stung a little bit. “See you around, Isumi.”

Bokuto was beaming like there was no tomorrow as they turned away from the counter, carefully holding the bag in his hands like the precious artifact it was. Kuroo prayed to God his friend wouldn’t lose the ring between now and spring time. Poor Akaashi would be marrying an idiot who lost the first ring and had to pay another $2,500 for the second engagement ring…

“I can’t believe you’re going to get _married_ , Bokuto.”

“And I can’t believe you’re having a kid with a snake, Kuroo.”

“We’re going to be _real_ adults by the time school ends for the year, do you realize that?” Tetsurou said thoughtfully, eyes widening. “You’ll be engaged, I’ll have popped a kid out…”

“Well, technically I’m asking Akaashi _after_ school lets out, so I’ll be right behind you,” Koutarou replied with a wink. “I don’t wanna upstage you and chaebol, since this is the only glory you’ll ever get.”

“Tch—like you could. Our baby’s going to be a super J-pop star!”

“Well—Well Akaashi and I are going to have _three_ more kids, so there!”

“I guess you’ve got me beat there,” Kuroo huffed, making damn sure Bokuto tucked the small bag into the _inside_ pocket of his coat, not the outside. What an absolute disaster that would be if he lost the ring before even asking… “I guess this will be the only kid I have, since…you know. Suguru and I aren’t a couple or anything. No way he’ll be able to handle me dating someone else while we’re co-parenting.”

“Ahh, don’t say that, Kuroo!” Bokuto chided affectionately, grabbing all their shopping bags again. “That’s way into the future, anyway; for now, let’s just focus on your appointment today! You’re going to find out the gender, right?!”

“How can you just brush aside your own engagement so easily?” Tetsurou wondered out-loud. “You do realize you just bought your commitment to Akaashi, right?”

“Of course, but if I think about it, I might get nervous and chicken out, so I’m not going to think about it—…until later, that is…”

“Jeez, what a mess…”

“Come on,” Bokuto tugged the omega along, exiting the ring store with a skip in his step. “Suguru said he would pick us up at the front door; make sure you hide the bags with his gifts. We don’t want him stripping you down in the backseat of the Acura and using that fancy golden lube you go—”

Kuroo smacked Bokuto on the back of the head just as they left the mall, Suguru raising an eyebrow at the scene before unlocking the Acura doors and letting them in.

“So…how was shopping?” Daishou asked, sensing a suspicious scent on Bokuto. “Get anything good?”

“Uhhh…yeah!” The bigger alpha nodded happily, smirking over at Kuroo, whose blush still tainted his cheeks from the earlier (false) comment. “I got a few good purchases, but I really only care about one.”

“…Don’t know what that means, but okay. Where am I dropping you off at?”

“The apartment. Akaashi and Kiyoko said they’re bringing me hot chocolate tonight!”

“Yeah…because you need more calories.”

“What’d you say, snake?!”

Suguru snorted under his breath, shooting Kuroo a look in the passenger seat. Whenever the omega was quiet, Daishou always became very suspicious; things were always quiet on the volleyball court before all hell broke loose. Kuroo avoided eye-contact, slipping his seatbelt on carefully over his tummy, aware that Suguru’s snake eyes were on him but refusing to acknowledge him.

“…Well?” The chaebol began, putting the car in drive. “Are you excited, Kuroo?”

“Excited for what?”

“Gee, I don’t know, our _doctor’s appointment_ in fifteen-minutes?” Daishou stressed.

“Oh, right! Yeah, I’m super pumped to find out we’re having twin boys.”

“We are _not_ having twin boys.”

“How cool would that be?!” Bokuto hollered from the back seat. “I get to be the godfather of both, right?”

“You’re hardly the godfather of one, much less, two at one time.”

“Lighten up, Suguru! This is the greatest moment of your life, you shouldn’t be so stressed!”

“I am not _stressed_ ,” Daishou insisted, though his tight grip on the steering wheel said otherwise. “I’m just…eagerly anticipating the reveal.”

“You guys are gunna tell me first, right?” Koutarou asked, peeking his head into the front part of the car. “You have to tell the godfather first, it’s your duty as parents!”

“We’ll be keeping it to ourselves until Christmas,” Kuroo informed his friend. “Then we’ll tell everyone and it’ll be a Christmas miracle!”

“Lame,” The pouty alpha mumbled to himself. “Well…at least then I can start buying you guys presents for baby Kuroo.”

“And we’ll start buying you and Akaashi engagement presents; where would you like to be registered a—”

Suguru nearly swerved the car into a nearby ditch, throwing everyone to the left and giving Kuroo a mini heart attack as he sent a shocked glare the chaebol’s way, hitting his arm angrily.

“What the hell was that, Suguru?! You almost got us killed!”

“You…Bokuto’s… _engaged_?” Daishou repeated in surprise, glancing at Bokuto in the mirror. “You’re engaged to _Akaashi_?”

“Not yet, but I bought the ring today!”

“He’s asking him after this school year ends,” Kuroo explained, trying to soothe his anxious tummy by rubbing it lightly. “He won’t upstage us, though, so no need to worry.”

“That’s the least of my worries,” Suguru continued, still stupidly shocked at this new information. “You’ll have lost the ring by the time spring comes along!”

“Will not!”

“Will to.”

“Nuh uh!”

“Yeah huh.”

“Now now, children, there’s no time for fighting on Christmas!” Tetsurou reasoned, patting Suguru on the head like he was a child. “We’re dropping Bokuto off at his house, then Mommy and Daddy are going to their appointment, okay?”

“Okay…” The other two grumbled.

Daishou pulled up to Kuroo’s old apartment, where they saw Akaashi and Kiyoko just pulling into the parking lot as well, Bokuto waving obnoxiously as he quickly exited the car, taking the loads of bags with him but not forgetting to leave Kuroo’s in the backseat. Tetsurou couldn’t help but smile as he watched Akaashi help a bundled-up Kiyoko out of their car, praying for both their sake’s that Bokuto didn’t lose the ring or leave it laying somewhere Akaashi would most definitely find it. Seeing them happy together as a power couple might inspire Kuroo to better his relationship with Suguru, thought, in all honesty, things weren’t going that badly at all.

“Remember, kids,” Koutarou said to the pair before he shut the door. “Be happy no matter what the baby is!”

“Of course we’ll be happy,” Tetsurou winked. “They have a wonderful godfather like you to take care of them after I divorce Suguru and move to South Korea.”

Daishou flicked his arm and bid Bokuto farewell. The pair were quiet as they watched him happily greet Kiyoko, grinning stupidly as Akaashi rolled his eyes at something the alpha said, though that lingering, content smile was always present on his thin lips. Kuroo felt warm and fuzzy inside, just as he always felt during December, and stared out the window at the wintery scene around them as he and Suguru drove away, heading towards the hospital for another check-up. Kuroo could imagine the appointment going either way, whether they were having a boy or a girl, one or two, two or three…the image he thought of most often, however, included one where Suguru was embracing him tightly, overjoyed at the idea of having a child with Tetsurou, despite their past differences. It seemed very Christmasy (but not Hallmark material, because Kuroo _hated_ Hallmark movies), and Suguru couldn’t help but let his anxiety melt away when he caught Kuroo smiling all the way to the hospital.

“Ready for this?” Daishou asked when they arrived, carefully helping Tetsurou out of the car. “Our lives are about to change again…should we prepare for a spoiled little girl with messy black hair and stubborn demands?”

“Or should we prepare for a snide little boy with fancy K-pop outfits and a sneaky attitude?” Kuroo smirked.

“I guess we’ll find out in a little while.”

“Yup…”

 

Suguru snuck a glance at Kuroo, and his stupid expression made the omega laugh, which then made Suguru give a few chuckles as they strolled into the maternity section and waited their turn.

 

Their doctor ordered them in a few minutes earlier than they expected her to, ushering the pair into a special room where the nurse would take some ultrasound pictures that would reveal the gender of their baby. It seemed unreal that such technology existed, like this was all a dream of Kuroo’s (minus Suguru being involved), much like Bokuto’s dream of marrying Akaashi; Tetsurou felt increasingly nervous as he slipped his shirt up, exposing his swollen tummy to the world as the nurse slid the goopy stuff all over before the procedure began. Daishou paced the room quietly, coming over to reassure Kuroo with his scent when the nurse began taking pictures—the silence and frequent beeping got Kuroo’s heart racing in a good way, but he prayed he wouldn’t accidentally pop a boner or something. It was easy enough living those incidents down at night, when he was the only person to know about it, but Suguru would never let him hear the end of it if something were to happen right now.

_“Hey son/daughter, did you know your mother got a little TOO excited during his ultrasound?”_

_Curse this chaebol’s handsome tendencies_ , Tetsurou cursed as the nurse finished up, wiping the goop off his stomach. _I hate him and his stupid face. But at least I get a baby out of it…_

“Alright then! I’ll be back in a few minutes with the pictures, and then I’ll let you two look them over, okay?” The nurse explained, turning the lights back on. “I’m sure you’ll be pleased with your results no matter what.”

“Yes, thank you, Yuri-san.”

“I’ll be right back.”

The nurse bowed and exited the room, finally allowing Suguru a moment to breathe. Kuroo snickered weakly and sat up straighter, putting his hands behind his head to try and mask his nervousness as coolness; Daishou was too busy in his own little world to call him out. _Will it be a girl alpha?_ The chaebol wondered, fiddling with his clothes to keep himself from biting his nails. _It could be a girl. I mean, Kuroo and I are both only sons, but that gene could sneak in there somewhere…maybe it’ll be a girl omega. Or maybe if it’s a girl, it’ll be a beta, since…I don’t know, isn’t that how genes work sometimes? But if it’s a boy, what will he be? I guess there’s a 50/50 chance he’ll be alpha or omega…does it matter who topped? Is that a deciding factor?_

“Kuroo.”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think they’ll be—alpha, beta or omega?” Daishou asked, glancing over.

“Hmm…hadn’t thought of that part before,” Tetsurou hummed thoughtfully. “If it’s twin boys like I say, I think one will be an omega, the other an alpha.”

“Why are you so certain it’s twins? You’re not even that big yet.”

“ _Yet_?”

“Well, you will get a bit more… _rounded_ over the next few months,” Suguru rubbed the back of his head, trying to avoid an argument. “Seriously, though—why do you think we’re having twins? Wouldn’t the doctor have noticed that before?”

“Probably,” Kuroo shrugged. “But my sides have felt like they’re stretching more than they should for just one little baby…unless they’re just a really _fat_ little baby or something.”

Suguru lightly smacked the journalist’s arm, forcing himself to sit down in the chair beside the table and calm down. If he was already this nervous before the baby was even born, Kuroo didn’t want to think about how much of a wreck he would be in the delivery room. Maybe the omega would get lucky and Suguru would pass out—but then there was always a chance of Bokuto storming in and fucking shit up…Kuroo would rather have Mori in there with him, because he would be calm about something as dramatic as childbirth. He was laid-back like that.

“What if…What if there’s more than one, Suguru?” Kuroo said suddenly. “What if—What if there’s _six_?!”

“There isn’t six, Kuroo. Don’t be dramatic.”

_But what if there IS six?_

“I’m being totally realistic, Daishou-chan, stuff like that happens!”

“Only if you take like, steroids or something…”

“What? That’s so not how it happens!”

All too soon, a knock came on the door, interrupting their bickering. They shared a look before Kuroo answered.

“C—Come in,” Tetsurou called in a squeak.

The nurse hopped back in cheerfully, holding freshly printed ultrasound pictures in her hands secretively; she came over with a smile on her face, turning the pictures over on the blank side as she held them out to Kuroo and Suguru, neither brave enough to take them right away.

“The pictures are all ready, Kuroo and Suguru-san!”

“Ah…g-great,” Daishou nodded several times.

“Cool! Um…is it…is it _easy_ to tell what they are?” Tetsurou asked anxiously.

“Yes, I’d say it’s pretty obvious,” The nurse winked, hurrying back to the door. “I’ll give you a few minutes to look them over. Good luck!”

“Pretty obvious?” Suguru repeated as she left. “Does that mean it’s a boy, since it obviously has a…?”

“Orrrr…does that mean it’s obviously a girl, since it _obviously_ doesn’t have a…?”

They stared at the back of the pictures for a long minute, too nervous and excited to do anything more; Kuroo’s heart was racing out of his chest, and Suguru couldn’t stop his hands from shaking as he reached out to put his fingers over the omega’s.

“We…We’ll be happy, no matter what they are,” Daishou assured himself and Tetsurou, who nodded eagerly. “No matter what, we’ll support them and love them. Right?”

“Right. Absolutely.”

Following another long moment of anticipation (Kuroo suddenly had to pee really badly), they flipped the line of pictures over together and frantically looked over the black and grey images. At first, Daishou didn’t see any significant details in the weird grey shapes, too enraptured with how much their baby had grown since the first ultrasound, but Tetsurou locked onto a small feature right away, jumping up from the table as his heart pounded, realization kicking in—

 

“A boy,” Kuroo laughed breathlessly, eyes bulging. “We…We’re having a _boy_!”

 

Suguru’s mouth fell open, utterly speechless as his grip on the pictures tightened over Tetsurou’s own jumbled fingers. He stared and stared, not seeing what Kuroo did, but believing his judgement and wondering if his heart could give out from happiness. And there was only _one_ baby in the picture. Not that he would be unhappy if there were two…or _six_ …

“Holy shit! A _boy_! A _boy_ , Suguru!”

Daishou nodded frantically, throat unable to produce any noise as Kuroo looked over wildly, only to find the snake crying silent tears. Who would have thought Nekoma’s cunning captain and Nohebi’s underhanded captain would be able to find such happiness in each other? Suguru was caught between disbelief and absolutely impenetrable joy, teary eyes gazing at the pictures with a beautifully serene expression. Tetsurou was bouncing off the walls with excitement, jumping and laughing and grabbing hold of Daishou’s sleeve as he struggled expressing his happiness.

“We’re having a little _boy_ , Dai…” Kuroo said, voice cracking when tears of his own appeared.

“Y-Yeah…a b- _boy_ ,” The alpha nodded for the hundredth time. Tetsurou pressed their shaking hands together, throwing his other arm around Suguru’s shoulder and pulling him close. How had such an amazing miracle come from such a weird, random night of passion? Kuroo didn’t understand, didn’t know why he deserved such a gift, but he was eternally thankful and swore to protect his son at all costs. Suguru didn’t understand, either, hugging Tetsurou tighter and tighter as he practically sobbed into the omega’s shoulder.

“T-Thank you, Kuroo…thanks for giving us this…I’m so grateful…”

“You sap,” Tetsurou sniffled, laughing lightly into the other’s neck. “Don’t make me cry even more…”

Daishou pulled back to wipe at his eyes, still grasping the ultrasound picture like it was made of gold; he and Kuroo studied it once more, going over every little grey and white detail in the image…the boy seemed to be holding himself with his tiny little arms, legs sprawled out (which might explain Kuroo’s insistence that his side was stretched) towards the omega’s left side, which gave him a piece of mind that his recent fall hadn’t damaged the baby’s head. Thousands of images flooded Kuroo’s brain, full of future volleyball matches, trophies, science experiments, karaoke machines, tickling fights, visits at grandpa Mori’s on weekends…the color red, not the color green…whatever feelings of guilt and unpreparedness evaporated from Tetsurou’s mind for good. He was happy to be having a child with Suguru, and was certain nothing could change his mind.

“Wow…I’m…I’m shook.” Daishou admitted, still breathless over the reveal. Kuroo laughed and squealed again, bouncing up and down while they continued to stare at the three images of their son.

“I can’t believe you were right, Suguru! It’s a boy!” Tetsurou cheered. “But wait—what if he’s born with little snake eyes?! _Ew_!”

Suguru pinched the journalist’s arm, but still laughed through his dripping tears. When the nurse came in, the pair were hugging again, Daishou cradling Kuroo like a precious object between his shaking arms, holding the pictures in his hands—he had never felt like such a dad before this point, and wondered why it wouldn’t be acceptable for him to kiss Kuroo passionately in celebration. He got away with a brief, very quick kiss on the omega’s cheek, and honestly, Kuroo was glowing so much he hardly even noticed, eyes brightening more the longer he stared at the pictures of their son.

“Now we get to pick _names_!” He cheered with a grin. “Yay!”

~~~-~~~

Kuroo and Daishou were having a boy. Their previously transparent dreams of having a child who loved volleyball became solid dreams of the nearby future; from this ultrasound they were able to finalize the design of the baby’s room, Suguru putting the crib up almost immediately after arriving back home, much to Tetsurou’s amusement and delight. The pair went without bickering or insulting each other for a solid day and a half, which was a personal record Bokuto kept track of for his own amusement. Kuroo helped pick where the shelves would go after painting and sorted through decorations, mostly from his mother’s belongings, items she made when she was pregnant with her only son—Suguru found some things to add to the colorful room, including a tiny blue volleyball that would tie the entire scene together nicely. Yeah. They were a little too excited about having a son to play volleyball with. An argument almost broke out over what position their son would play, but thankfully both sides relented after the thought of letting their boy choose whatever position he wanted, depending on his height, skill and personal preference. They also decided to talk about what school he would attend later, as that was sure to be a heavy, very long and tiring argument. Aside from these tiny blunders, Daishou and Kuroo had never been happier.

Since the business department finished final presentations early, their Christmas break began in the second week of December, much to Suguru’s delight; he still had a lot of shopping to do, and before Kuroo’s hormones really kicked in, along with his stomach getting more “rounded,” the alpha wanted to get as much done for the baby’s room as humanly possible. Since Kuroo no longer worked, he remained at home pining over baby Suguru’s ultrasound pictures, trying to determine whether or not the baby’s nose was too flat to be considered normal.

“I mean…of course I’ll still love them, but what if they really do have those little serpent slits as a nose?” The omega theorized on the couch, narrowing his eyes at the pictures. “The poor kid will be bullied when he goes to school!”

“His nose is totally normal,” Suguru sighed, throwing his jacket on. “Don’t be so vain.”

“Tch—I’m not being vain…I’m being proactive.”

“Whatever. I’m going Christmas shopping, so stay there until I come back; I don’t want you falling or overworking yourself, understand?”

“Yes, my lord,” Kuroo mocked, bowing his head. “Hey, while you’re out, could you get me some more blue origami paper? I need to make more snowflakes!”

“Wha—you—the apartment is already _covered_ in snowflakes, moron!” The alpha pointed, motioning to the winter wonderland around them. There were blue paper snowflakes hanging on practically everything, over every other Christmas decoration and snow themed accessory. “Why don’t you buy some spring themed ones; we can put them in the baby’s room.”

“That’s…not a bad idea,” Tetsurou hummed thoughtfully, looking down at the blue mess of blue paper chunks covering their coffee table. “Oh, and don’t forget to pick up the paint, too! We decided on ballet slipper peach, right?”

“Yeah. Although it looks more pink than peach…”

“Are you gender stereotyping our son, Daishou-chan?”

Suguru rolled his eyes, grabbing his wallet (full of money HE MADE as a dead-beat receptionist) as he headed towards the door.

“Of course not. And if anyone says anything about it, I’ll deck them like I decked that guy at the grocery store.”

“Right,” The journalist grinned. “How’s your wrist healing, by the way?”

“It’s a little sore, still, but I think it’ll be okay. I haven’t had to ice it in a wh—”

Kuroo’s dorky laugh made Suguru glare at him again.

“What’s so funny?”

“I’m teasing you, Suguru; keep up.”

“Whatever. Just so you know, your Christmas present is going to be trash, just like you.”

“As opposed to the other wonderful gifts you got for my birthday?”

“Shut the hell up! You _loved_ those gifts!”

“Or was I just pretending so we didn’t start an argument in front of my friends?”

The chaebol stared Kuroo down for a long minute, snake eyes peering into glimmering cat orbs; Suguru sighed after a while, opening the front door to leave. How come he and Kuroo could bicker like frenemies sometimes, but other times they resulted in fiery arguments and hours of pouting on the omega’s side? Daishou compared their complicated dynamics to that of the couples in _Goblin_ (not that he watched it in secret or anything…), and wondered who was the goblin with the sword stuck in their chest—him, or Kuroo?

“I’ll be back soon,” Suguru told the other, exiting the apartment. “Not that you care.”

“Oh Daishou darling, do come back before dinner,” Tetsurou teased with a way too cute smile, waving at the alpha. “I know how much you love roasted duck, and don’t forget to pick up some rice on your way home!”

Daishou huffed to himself and slammed the door shut at a moderate level, strutting away as Kuroo’s laugh echoed down the hall; as much as he wanted to dislike the cunning captain, Suguru couldn’t deny that bickering with the omega was pretty fun. He could only imagine how loud Tetsurou and Bokuto were as roommates and guessed his new neighbors were thankful they weren’t as close as Koutarou and Kuroo were; _imagine that_ , Daishou thought to himself while slipping into his car. _I’m the one who got Tetsurou pregnant, yet, we’re not as close as he is with his best friend…_

Fatherly doubt had been creeping into the chaebol’s mind ever since they found out the gender of baby Suguru. He didn’t want to tell Kuroo, though he probably should have, preferring to keep his anxious emotions quiet for the time being. One of his greatest concerns lay in the category of their son following right in their footsteps, only choosing to get someone pregnant or become pregnant himself by some drug-addicted loser who tried putting a ring on it while they were still in _high school_ —the world had enough teenage pregnancies, and Suguru did not want to contribute by starting a new tradition in this family. There was also the concern that their son would come to hate his parents for not being together, bickering all the while trying to raise him in a happy environment…what if he grew up to be a serial killer, like Kuroo once said? What if he acted out and tried to tear down the Suguru name out of spite? Honestly, Suguru hadn’t been paying much attention to his chaebol reputation since getting Tetsurou pregnant, too preoccupied with not strangling the omega whenever he left the toilet seat up while simultaneously trying to make sure he was happy and healthy; still, Daishou was greatly concerned for the future of their son (whether or not he attended business school in order to inherit the family business) and only eased his nerves by driving his Acura through the snowy streets of Tokyo, flipping the Kpop channel off and instead switching to a parenting radio station whose current topic of the day was ‘living in the moment.’

“ _Often times parents find themselves focusing too much on what could happen versus what is happening right now in the present; loosen-up a little! There’s no time to waste worrying about the future when life is happening before your very eyes. You need good memories to look back on in times of trouble, so instead of losing precious moments by theorizing what bad things could happen to your child later on, open your eyes and take a look at what miracles are taking place right this very second. Worrying relentlessly only taints memories. Step away from the undetermined future and remember that your child won’t be a child forever…”_

“Damn smart people,” Suguru mumbled to himself, pulling into the mall’s parking lot. “Damn experienced parents and their wisdom…we don’t need them, do we, Deok Hwa?”

The chaebol glanced around to make sure nobody saw him talking to his car (and referencing _Goblin_ ), pulling himself out with a sigh and going over the mental list he had of what presents to get everyone; he decided to be nice and even get his father something. Suguru would never admit it out-loud, but he missed talking with his father, especially after meeting Mori for the first time—he had a feeling they would get along very well and even felt bad when Mori was disappointed that he didn’t get to meet Daishou’s parents at the party. The alpha chided himself for worrying again when the radio people just told him not to, as it “taints memories.” Not wanting to waste more time “tainting memories,” he set off into the mall and began his shopping: spending on a budget seemed odd to Suguru, and for the first hour he really struggled, not used to resisting shiny things with lots of diamonds. Kuroo probably wouldn’t appreciate diamonds, anyway—he was conservative like that. At first, Daishou thought about getting Mori a car, but that would seem “insensitive,” as Kuroo would say, so he settled with a lame gift card for car parts (who knew they made those?) and a few books about classic cars. The mall was always a happy place around Christmas, all decorated and shiny with music blasting in the speakers above…Daishou thought it would be cool if he and Kuroo brought their son here next year, so he could see all the pretty lights and decorations. No child of theirs would grow-up to be a grinch.

“Let’s see, I got Mori, Mom, Dad, Kuroo…I picked up some origami paper…” Suguru checked off, carrying a dozen bags on his arms as he walked through the bustling mall. “Guess I should get that bastard Bokuto something. But if I get him something, I’ll have to get Akaashi something, too, and then I’ll have to get Kiyoko something…”

A weird style of Christmas decorations caught Daishou’s eyes—as he was walking past an innocent little gift shop full of cards and stuffed animals, he happened to look across the way and see a colorfully sick collection of risqué lingerie and other sexual items displayed proudly behind a large glass window, the shop titled _GOODIES!_ (styled using a pair of breasts as the double O’s). The Christmas theme applied to every store in the mall, it seemed, and Daishou felt his cheeks blush when he took note of the red and green bra and panty sets, the lacey candy cane nighties and various other… _candy cane_ themed objects. As disturbed and amused as Suguru was at this image, he found his legs swerving over and stopping near the entrance of the vulgar store; his thoughts were forcibly blank for a minute, after which imagining how hilarious it would be if he and Kuroo got Bokuto some lingerie for Christmas. His face would be _priceless_ as he opened the present, timidly grabbing onto the teddy set while everyone else laughed and laughed…Akaashi would probably run for the hills if his boyfriend ever actually put the slutty outfit on and tried seducing him. Now _that_ would be a good story to tell their son someday.

After a shy minute of contemplation, admitting to himself that he wasn’t entirely looking in for just shits and giggles, the chaebol of Japan found himself sneaking inside for a peek.

_It doesn’t hurt to look…right?_

Somehow Suguru felt a little dirty shopping in a dark place like this so close to Christmas, but nobody seemed to notice him enter, so he figured it was okay to look around. Honestly, Daishou felt a little frightened by the first few displays full of creepy leather outfits, bondage items and fairly graphic instruction manuals he would have nightmares about later, not to mention the horrifying take on “Christmas themed” lingerie costumes…but once he managed to blush his way past that aisle, the more humorous items appeared, tempting him to buy some hilariously bright condoms for Bokuto, or maybe one of the candy cane dildos. He could probably attach a note to the gift saying something about how he wouldn’t be getting any soon anyway, but the more Suguru thought about that idea, the more he realized it was _Bokuto_ who should be getting him condoms as a joke for Christmas. At least that dorky alpha _had_ a boyfriend. Kuroo’s “appetite” could be confusing at times, and Suguru still didn’t know where they stood relationship wise; he figured the omega himself didn’t, either. If he got Kuroo some as a joke, would he get mad and beat the shit out of Daishou with his freaky pregnancy strength? Suguru didn’t like that idea. But what if the omega was “in the mood” and they didn’t have any…equipment? _Am I overthinking this?_ The chaebol wondered, nervously glancing around as he stopped by a table with various types of lubes and condoms. _But…it’s better to be prepared, right? Who cares if it’s almost Christmas—some of these freaks are probably getting way creepier stuff than I am. Wait. Does that make me a freak, too? No way. I’m just a regular guy buying supplies in case the omega I’m living with (who is already pregnant with my child) wants to relive their sexual appetite by using me as their toy._

_No. I can’t. I shouldn’t._

_But…maybe…just in case…_

Daishou gulped, glancing around cautiously; there were only three or four other people in the store, none of them in the same aisle as him, so the alpha finally got up the courage to reach out and grab a small bottle of lube from off the table. His hand shook like a virgin’s as he tried focusing on the fine print, reading something about an “explosion of moist—” at which point Suguru threw the bottle back onto the table and grabbed a different, more mildly colored one; he honestly had no idea what kind Kuroo would like (not that he cared anyway once they got started), so the alpha went with his instinct and selected a few random bottles with pure, straight-forward titles. Daishou kept his head down the entire time, shielding his identity with a dark patch of blush staining his cheeks and neck, collecting enough of an assortment where Kuroo would surely find something he liked. It wasn’t like Suguru had never bought condoms before…he just hadn’t done so in a _sex shop_ the first time around…he felt like an old pervert or something. If Tetsurou found out he bought this stuff here, Daishou would never hear the end of it for as long as he lived. He made a mental note to take the tags off before they used them. _If_ they used them, that is…

 _Jeez_ , the alpha thought in a panic, peering up at the dark ceiling of the shop to check the angles of the cameras. _I hope the security cameras can’t see my fa—_

 

As someone came around the corner into Daishou’s aisle, an abrupt rustling of bags made him glance over—the person couldn’t make an escape in time, so only stood a few feet away in awkward silence, hiding something behind his back as Daishou’s mouth dropped open in shock, finally dragging his gaze upwards to meet the glistening bluish-green eyes of the mysterious omega, confirming the person to be the one and only Akaashi Keiji, current boyfriend of Kuroo’s best friend Bokuto Koutarou.

 

Suguru had the sudden urge to throw-up in one of his own bags, hurriedly straightening up and nearly knocking over a nearby stand through his panic. Akaashi had gone a little pink in the cheeks, ducking a bit into his scarf, but he handled himself better than the alpha, clearing his throat to rid them of the disgustingly awkwardly silence. Still, they didn’t speak for a moment, recovering from the shock as a dirty version of “Santa Baby” played in the background—to Daishou, it felt like a scene from some creepy porno rom-com or something. No one else paid them any attention, which was both a blessing and a curse as they remained facing each other, Suguru’s arms still full of bottles of lube and a stupid amount of condom packets.

“Uhh—I—u-um…I…” Daishou struggled to start a conversation, not sure what he was trying to say in the first place. His cheeks burned so badly he thought he had come down with a fever from embarrassment. “How…How are you, A-Akaashi?”

“…Fine.” The omega nodded stiffly. “How are you, Daishou-san?”

“Fine!” He squeaked, nodding several times. “Um…fancy meeting you here, huh?”

“Yes…I certainly didn’t expect to run into you today.”

“Haha.”

Suguru wasn’t helping the situation by anxiously squirming around, contemplating throwing himself through the front window or suffocating himself with the nearest set of lace panties. Akaashi recovered faster, slipping an unidentified object into his basket (which Daishou couldn’t help but noticing was filled pretty damn full) and daring to take a few steps forward, averting his gaze to the stand the alpha was stationed at, if only to get Suguru’s stupid gaping face out of his head.

“Are you finishing your Christmas shopping, then?” Akaashi asked casually, as if they weren’t standing in the middle of a sex shop.

“Ah…yeah. I guess. And—And I’m going to buy paint for the baby’s room after this!” Daishou informed him, desperately changing the subject. “Kuroo and I agreed on this pinkish-peach color, even though it’s a boy, not that we think we should change it to blue, because that would be stereot—”

Suguru dropped the lube and condoms to slap a hand over his mouth, realizing a long second after he spoke that he just revealed the baby’s gender, which Kuroo _specifically_ asked (threatened) him not to do until Christmas. Keiji couldn’t help but give him a surprised look, genuinely distracted from the current setting at this secret.

“Kuroo-san’s having a boy?” He repeated. “Really?”

“I—I—oh god, please don’t tell anyone, Akaashi!” Suguru begged, falling onto his knees and attracting the attention of a few customers. They thought it would make a good story, proposing in a sex shop near Christmas time… “Kuroo will kill me! You don’t understand how strong he is now that he’s pregnant! He’ll literally suffocate me with my own pillow, Akaashi, so please don’t tell him I told you!!!”

“Calm down, Suguru-san,” The omega sighed humorously. “You probably shouldn’t be kneeling on this floor—you don’t know what kind of things have happened on it.”

The alpha hissed in disgust, frantically standing back up—jeez, he felt like such a noob teenager, standing in front of a pretty omega in the middle of a sex shop by a table of dorky condoms and weirdly flavored lube bottles…seriously, though, why did Akaashi have so much shit in his basket?

“I won’t tell Kuroo or Bokuto, so there’s no need to worry,” Keiji assured him. “Besides—this means I won the bet. Bokuto said it would be a girl, and while I didn’t know what it would be, I bet against him. You’ve made me 5,000 yen richer, Suguru.”

“Oh…well…good,” The chaebol coughed. At least Akaashi wasn’t stuttering over himself like an idiot. “Cool. So, um…thanks. For not telling. We’re going to announce it at Christmas, so act surprised, okay?”

“Of course.”

Before more awkward silence could worm its way into their conversation, Daishou spoke quickly, but only worsened the situation by doing so.

“S-So…you…you shop here sometimes?”

 _Why the hell would I ask that?!_ Suguru mentally slapped himself as Akaashi nodded sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. _What the hell is wrong with me?!_

“Sometimes, yes,” He answered shortly. “Um…may I ask why you’re shopping here, Suguru-san? Or did I miss some serious development between you and Kuroo?”

“I suppose I deserved that one,” Daishou grumbled to himself. “I…I really don’t know…why I’m in here, honestly. Kuroo and I aren’t really…together, you know, but just in case he—or me… _you know_ …”

“I don’t, really, but…”

“ _Ho ho ho GOODIES shoppers!_ ” A man shouted over the intercom. “ _Need to spice things up this Christmas? You’re in luck! Our Christmas department is now 40% off for the next ten minutes, including elf bondage costumes, Christmas tree ball gags, peppermint flavored lube and more! Get them before they’re gone, and have a Merry fucking Christmas!_ ”

Something about the combination of meeting the unsuspecting Akaashi Keiji here in a sex shop and the creepy puns of the Christmas ad made Suguru burst out laughing, prompting Akaashi to crack a smile as well. A few people gave them weird looks (not that Daishou could blame them) and hurried away in case things got weird. Suguru didn’t feel so embarrassed once he noticed that the omega’s cheeks were just as red as his. How did this guy ever put up with Bokuto, who loved embarrassing people to the max?

“Not that this wasn’t fun, but I need to be going,” Akaashi chuckled once they recovered. “And…I think it’s best we keep this entire incident to ourselves, don’t you think?”

“ _Yes please_.”

“Good. Well…I’ll be leaving, then,” The omega bowed, not noticing how Suguru tried peeking into the contents of his basket. “See you later, Suguru-kun.”

“Y-Yeah. See you.”

“Congratulations, by the way. And…don’t forget your… _items_ ,” Akaashi reminded him, nodding to the mess of condom and lube bottles on the floor between them. Another round of blush overwhelmed Daishou’s cheeks as Akaashi hurriedly walked away, grabbing something from another aisle before heading to the check-out counter. Suguru did the same once he was certain the omega was gone, hiding his face and throwing the small black bag into one of the other bags he had on his arm so no one could hold it against him—Daishou wasn’t sure when his business and social skills had started slowly fading away, but he suspected Kuroo had something to do with it, and so, blamed him for the painful incident that had taken place in the _GOODIES!_ sex shop a few weeks away from Christmas. If anything had been learned from this, Suguru had to say it was to never underestimate Bokuto Koutarou’s skills ever again; after all…Akaashi wasn’t buying an entire basket full of sexual items just for his own entertainment. Maybe Bokuto wasn’t such an idiot after all, to convince his cool and collected boyfriend of such playful acts—

 

 _Or…_ Daishou thought with a gulp. _Maybe Akaashi is just a kinky ass omega hidden behind a polite, totally innocent masquerade mask._

 

Suguru managed to push the incident away long enough to stop by a different store and pick up the can of paint for their son’s room; it was easier to forget once he started driving towards Nohebi, where he promised he would visit his mother (and probably his dad) for some holiday talk and updates on Kuroo. The omega said it was cool if Suguru wanted to tell his parents the baby’s gender right now, since Daishou himself said they probably wouldn’t visit his parents until after Christmas Day (if at all), and while Kuroo thought that extremely dysfunctional, he decided not to judge and gave his permission. Suguru found that nice of him. But Kuroo wasn’t nice. Nope. Not at all. He hogged the sheets constantly, only dried the dishes, never washed them, whined about taking the garbage out, was terrible, _terrible_ about vacuuming…of course, he was good about doing laundry, making the bed in the morning, leaving funny notes everywhere, ironing Suguru’s clothes even though he never asked him to…but he wasn’t nice. No. But if the subject of Kuroo came up in the conversation with his parents, he was going to be the best damn person to ever exist.

Daishou had to remind himself to put his guard up when he noticed his father’s much less stylish car parked in the driveway; he still clearly remembered what happened last time Daisuke and he spoke of Kuroo, and this time for everyone’s sake, Suguru hoped his mom would step in before either of them said anything stupid. The chaebol knew he would be on his heels the entire time, since he was the one refusing to answer his father’s texts, but if he learned anything from business school, it was how to shield his own insecurities. That being confirmed, Suguru strutted into his old childhood home with his chest out proudly, entering the kitchen where his mother and father were both seated at the island decorating Christmas cookies together. Sora noticed him before Daisuke did, gasping as she jumped out of her chair immediately.

“Daishou!” His mother cheered, hurting towards him for a tight hug. “So good to see you!”

“Good to see you, too, Mom.”

They separated slowly, Suguru daring to flicker his unimpressed gaze at his father, who gave him a small smile.

“Daishou,” Daisuke said casually, like they weren’t in the middle of a fight. “How are you?”

“I’m great.” _Change the subject. Hurry, before he brings IT up!_ “Kuroo and I found out the gender of the baby a few days ago.”

“And?” Sora said after gasping, clasping her hands together excitedly. “What is it?!”

“Guess.”

Suguru’s parents exchanged a look, quietly gathering all their guesses together.

“We’re going to have…a grand _son_?” Sora questioned eagerly.

The chaebol couldn’t help but smile as he gave a stalled nod of confirmation, triggering a squeal from his mother and another tight celebration hug. _How brightly will Mori react when we tell him?_

“Ohhhh, that’s so _sweet_ , Daishou!!! Congratulations!!!”

“Thanks. We’re pretty excited. We’d be excited if it were a girl, too, of course.”

“Of course of course, but you’re having a little _boy_!” Sora rambled on, unable to let her son go. “We’re having a _grandson_ , Suke!!!”

“A boy, huh?” Daisuke repeated with a bright smile, not daring to hug his son even though he wanted to. “Well, for your sake I hope he’s more like Kuroo.”

Suguru wanted to smile at that, but he was more determined to be stubborn and stand-offish, and so, refused to let his lips curl upwards even as he let his mother sit him down at the island between them, cookies covering the top of the table. The baby would be lucky to have his genes…Kuroo was a dork. Who wanted to grow up to be a dork?

“That’s true—you were always a very high maintenance baby, Dai.” Sora agreed, grabbing a tube of icing.

“Tch. Was not.”

“Of course you were! Oh, and you were so _picky_!” She ranted while speedily applying more green icing to the nearest cookie. “You never wanted to eat anything but meat for the first three years of your life—we should show you the videos of you eating. You devoured duck like a starving snake or something!”

“Like a _snake_?” Suguru almost choked, hating the reference to the animal Kuroo frequently teased him about.

“Well, maybe more like a different carnivore, but you didn’t eat a single vegetable until you were three-and-a-half,” His mother continued. “I hope the baby is more like Kuroo, too.”

“Thanks, that makes me feel so good about myself.”

Sora giggled to herself.

“Anyway…we’re going to Kuroo’s father’s house for Christmas, but we might stop by after we get back.”

“Kuroo’s father? Where does he live?” Daisuke asked curiously.

“Nekoma. I met him at Kuroo’s birthday party; he’s really nice. Tetsurou just started his second trimester, by the way.”

“Oh how fun! That means the worst of the hormones are yet to come,” Sora winked playfully. “But at least most of the morning sickness is over.”

“Yeah…he mostly has really weird cravings, now, and for some reason he keeps purring when he sleeps.”

“He really admitted to that?” Daisuke laughed beside him. “Your mother never admitted to anything when she was pregnant with you.”

“That’s not true,” Sora mumbled, even though it was true.

“…He didn’t have to _admit_ _it_ ,” Suguru explained slowly. “We live together, remember?”

“Oh?” His father replied in genuine surprise. “…I wasn’t aware of that arrangement. My bad.”

“Do tell us about every development, Daishou dear,” His mother interrupted, trying to avoid an argument. “We’d love to hear about what our precious grandson is up to in there!”

“Really?”

“What do you mean, ‘really’?” Daisuke chuckled, frosting another cookie and laying it in front of Suguru. “Of course we want to know about you and Kuroo-kun.”

“Why?” Daishou snapped, remembering why he disliked business meetings such as; everyone was always so fake, always hiding their real emotions and real feelings on the current subject. He hated it. He would rather have his father just say he was disappointed in him for having a child out of wedlock than tip-toe around him and pretend to be happy. “So you can gossip about your illegitimate grandson with the rest of the CEO board?”

“Daishou—don’t go there right now,” His father warned. “You’ll upset your mother, and I already tried apologizing for what I said about Tetsurou.”

“Yeah, well, maybe your apology wasn’t meant to be accepted.”

Suguru stood up from his chair, now too worked-up and confrontational to sit; Sora stood by as her husband and son squared off once again, Daishou doing most of the accusing as Daisuke remained seated, still managing to frost a few cookies as they argued.

“I get what you were upset about that day, Dad, but you should’ve taken it out on me, not blamed Kuroo and accused him of going after my money,” The younger alpha said, fierce green eyes narrowing at Daisuke. “I know you and Mom have probably already talked about how over-dramatic I’m being, but I mean it when I say I care about Kuroo, and I won’t let anyone insult or injure his feelings just because he and I aren’t a ‘real couple’ who went through all that romantic fake shit before he got pregnant. I have my own job, now, so there’s no need to worry about backing us anymore. If you want to be in the baby’s life, that’s fine, great, but if all you’re going to be doing is _pretending_ to be okay with his birth circumstances, you may as well not be involved at all.”

Daisuke was less shocked at Suguru’s speak than his wife was, and reacted calmly, having expected such an outburst after months of not speaking to each other.

“…Okay, Daishou,” His father said, putting his hands up. “You win. I’ll admit for the first few days I was apprehensive about the whole situation…but it’s been _months_ , now, Dai—you can’t expect to keep up the same argument for much longer, can you? You’re a smart kid, you know no business can thrive—”

“Yeah, well, this isn’t a business negotiation, Dad,” Suguru snapped back. “This is life. Kuroo and I are having a son together, we’re living together and we’re going to raise him together. That’s that. Understand?”

As nasty and harsh as Daishou’s words were, he felt incredibly proud of himself for the speech; _what’s done is done_. He’d been thinking that to himself for a long time, now, and thought his family needed to hear those words as well. Kuroo was pregnant. There was no undoing it, no going back or altering time. He and Kuroo had moved in together and were planning on raising their son together. It was done. If Suguru’s family didn’t want to accept that, then there was nothing he could do about their opinions. But he sure as hell wouldn’t let them make Kuroo feel uncomfortable, like he didn’t belong in their little social group…

And Daishou was absolutely not going to let their _son_ be rejected by the same group before he was even born.

 

“Understood,” Sora answered quietly, shocking both men out of their funk. “May we sit down and have a nice dinner, now?”

Suguru and his father continued to stare at each other, contempt and pride on one side, thoughtfulness and hurt on the other. The younger alpha thought it strange that even though neither he nor Kuroo were addicted to drugs, alcohol or any other dangerous activity, they still managed to run into problems within their relationship. At least Mori was laid-back and cool enough to be positive about the baby…he probably wasn’t even capable of lying, anyway. _It must be a money thing_ , Daishou thought to himself with a scowl. _People who grow-up with money like me aren’t used to facing their problems. Mori and Kuroo don’t have fancy watches or expensive clothing to hide behind…but at least I’m facing it, now. Better late than ever. Better now than when our son arrives…_

“…I have to get going, actually,” Suguru answered lowly, readjusting his scarf. He was trying to be positive, like the parenting radio station always suggested. “I have Christmas presents to wrap, and Kuroo and I are going to paint the baby’s room. Thanks anyway.”

“Well—Well, at least take these!”

Sora hurriedly began pulling an assortment of various dishes and pastries from the fridge and countertop, organizing them from heaviest to lightest while rattling off their contents, Daisuke watching silently from the table.

“I made these cookies, some Oreo cheesecake, a pan of ham and potatoes, some pork cutlet and some ozoni soup for you and Kuroo-chan,” His mother said, shoving different pans into his awaiting arms. “Is there anything special Kuroo likes for New Year’s? Because I can make whatever he wants!”

“This is more than enough, Mom.”

“Well, ask him anyway, okay? I remember how irritated I got during my pregnancy when I didn’t get what I was craving.”

“Alright…”

Sora scurried after her son as he exited the kitchen and headed to the door, Daisuke lingering behind the pair silently until Daishou opened the front door, balancing the heavy containers on one arm.

“We aren’t rejecting Kuroo or your son, Daishou,” The businessman said gently, making Suguru pause. “We…We just want to make sure you know how serious a responsibility this is.”

“…Of course I know,” Daishou replied lowly, chilling wind from the outside world brushing over his cheeks. “Didn’t you notice the bags underneath my eyes?”

The chaebol turned his head to send a dark look his father’s way, frightening his mother with the suddenly intense expression of protectiveness. Usually Daishou only became aggressive when something he loved was in jeopardy, like his volleyball career or his special stuffed animal…but this type of emotion stood on an entirely different level that made her think maybe she and her husband _had_ underestimated Suguru.

“Merry Christmas if I don’t see you,” Daishou said. “And thanks for the food. Bye.”

 

When Suguru made it back to the apartment, he dejectedly threw all his bags in the bedroom (making sure the small black bag with suggestive items inside was hidden), took the new can of paint and entered the baby’s room, only to find Kuroo already inside, sitting on the floor while adjusting something on the crib, happy Christmas music playing from his phone.

“You’re back,” The omega said in surprise, peering up at Suguru in question. “What took you so long?”

“I know you wanted rice, but Mom made you some soup,” Daishou replied instead of giving a direct answer. “There’s a bunch of goodies and stuff in the kitchen, too.”

“…Oh. Cool!”

“Got the paintbrushes out?”

“Yeah, right there.”

Wordlessly, Suguru rolled up his sleeves and popped the paint can open, mixing the pinkish peach contents with a ruler before dipping the paintbrush in and beginning to paint, making sure he didn’t drop on the plastic laying below the wall. Kuroo needed a moment to catch up before joining him (after fetching the entire cheesecake from the kitchen, of course), sitting beside the alpha as they quietly painted their son’s room, brushing up, then down, up, then down; as much as the nosy journalist wanted to ask, he didn’t want to start an argument, and so, remained quiet until he thought of another simpler subject.

“…So…is it still cold out?” Tetsurou asked casually. “I kinda wanted to go for a walk, but I don’t want to if it’s cold.”

“The wind’s cold. It’s supposed to snow tonight.”

“Ah. Cool.”

 _Well that attempt was shut down pretty fast_ , Kuroo thought, shifting so his stomach didn’t feel so squished. _There’s really no talking to Suguru when he’s in a mood like this._

“You should put this on,” Daishou said, holding out a surgical mask towards Kuroo. “Don’t want the fumes messing with your head.”

“Right. Hey, do I look like some cool K-pop star in an airport with this on?”

Tetsurou modeled the mask in a few different poses, getting an eye roll from Suguru, although he did agree that he looked like he had just flown halfway across the world with little sleep. The omega pouted at that, and they went the next ten-minutes without speaking, content to paint and listen to Christmas music together. Kuroo wondered what happened at Daishou’s parent’s house. He wondered if they fought again, if Suguru told them the gender, if that’s what they were disappointed in…or if they were ashamed of Tetsurou himself. Maybe the food Suguru’s mom made was poisoned. Maybe they were trying to fatten him up so they could invite him to some fancy rich people’s party and publicly humiliate him in front of everyone. Maybe they were actually yakuza leaders trying to kill off Suguru’s illegitimate child before it grew-up, killed Daisuke and took over the family clan!

“You can ask,” Daishou sighed suddenly after they finished an entire wall. “About why I’m in such a pissy mood.”

“I don’t have to ask, snake-chan,” Tetsurou said through the mask. “I know it’s just in your nature.”

“Tch…”

“What happened, then?” Kuroo questioned, dipping his brush back into the paint can. “At your parent’s house.”

“The usual,” Suguru shrugged. “I point out my dad’s fake joy over having a grandchild out of wedlock and then we argue. This time I gave it to him hard, though…if there was any chance of a Christmas miracle before today, I definitely stuck a sword in that, now.”

“Jeez…you’re really mad at your dad, huh?”

“Well—Well I have every right to be,” The alpha defended himself with a pout. “He accused you of being a gold digger and implied that he and my mom didn’t think I was capable of handling this responsibility. At least my mom is actually remotely happy for me…my dad just—just treats it all like a business meeting gone bad or something! I already got my own job and told him he didn’t have to back us up; what more does he want from me?”

“Probably for you to sacrifice your first born so the yakuza bloodline will remain pureblooded chaebol.”

“…… _What_?”

Kuroo giggled to himself as Suguru sighed again, pausing his painting to reflect on the situation.

“I…I know I shouldn’t yell at them so close to Christmas or whatever, but…it just makes me so frustrated, you know? It’s not like either of us are on drugs, and you’re not a total gold digger, and at least we’re _trying_ to put things together; I mean, it’s almost Christmas for goodness sake, can’t they let some of the holiday spirit influence their feelings towards us?!”

“You really are just like the Grinch,” Tetsurou smiled, peeling his mask down for a moment. “But there’s nothing to worry about, Dai-chan—even the Grinch has friends in the end!”

Suguru looked over at the omega in shock, unable to hide a tiny, pleased smile from flittering onto his lips. Kuroo slid the mask back up to hide his wide smile, and the pair continued with the first layer of paint, stopping when they were sure every nook and cranny had ballet slipper pink covering it. They stood back in the doorway to observe, nodding in approval at the sight—surely their son would grow to love this tiny little room, and someday when the apartment became too small for their family they would have to drag him out, promising to paint his walls the exact same color at their new home. Kuroo could see it now. Just as Suguru could suddenly see all color drain from the journalist’s face.

“Oh _shit_!!!”

“What?!” Daishou exclaimed, looking around in a panic. “What is it?! Did you spill paint on the carpet?!”

“My paper’s due tomorrow!” Tetsurou screeched.

“What paper?”

“The final report I haven’t listed a _single_ source for yet!!!” The omega explained while waddling into the living area and chucking his mask away, Suguru following after. “Oh shit, oh shit!”

“Why the hell didn’t you finish earlier when I was gone?!”

“I tried, Suguru, honest! But I kept getting distracted by baby names, and I said I would take a ten-minute break to pee and look up some more boy ones, but then…then… _Christmas_ happened!”

“Don’t blame this on Christmas, jerk,” Suguru chided, leaning over to read what Kuroo had typed on his laptop so far. “Well…the report’s done, it looks like…are the sources all you have left?”

“All I have _left_? Daishou, I don’t know if you know anything about journalism, but the sources are the hardest fucking part of my degree,” The omega sighed deeply, nearly tearing his unruly hair right out from his scalp. “I’m so fucked. It’s already eight, there’s no way I’ll finish by tomorrow morning, no way…”

_Guess I’m going to have to be the mature one today._

“It’ll be fine,” Suguru said curtly, narrowing his eyes at the empty source list underneath the report. Despite being a top student in the business department, Daishou had been through his fair share of last minute assignments. “We’ll get it done tonight, and you’ll be able to hand it in tomorrow before class.”

“Really?!” The other boy squealed in surprise, grabbing onto the alpha’s sleeve with a glowing expression. “You’ll help me, my lord?!”

“Yes.”

“Sweet! Sit, sit, let’s get started!”

Kuroo and Suguru sat on the living room couch together for the next five hours, clicking through different tabs on two different laptops, rechecking emails to make sure the due date hadn’t been moved, typing furiously and triple-checking every website to make sure it was valid…Daishou’s eyes were burning, but he pushed through hour after hour, knowing this couldn’t possibly be doing Kuroo’s sleep schedule any good. They needed to get done quickly and efficiently so the omega could get some rest. Suguru really tried his best typing and checking, but time still clicked by minute by minute, and when they finally caught a moment of rest to check the time, it was one in the morning. Kuroo was yawning like crazy, continuously looking between his report and those cursed sources, nibbling on carrots and chocolate per the alpha’s orders…eventually, they finished their work, rubbing their sore eye sockets while finalizing everything one final time. At this point, Tetsurou was leaning against the couch cushion, holding the laptop out to the side as he lazily scanned over the words, hardly processing their meaning as he proofread.

“Okay…okay…that’s…okay…yeah…”

“What about this?” Suguru pointed, leaning over the omega’s crumpled body. “These are okay?”

“Yeah…okay…”

“You have the right format, the sources in the right order?”

“Yes…yes, I think so.”

“Your name is on it, the date, everything?”

“Yeah.”

“So we’re done?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Kuroo exhaled heavily. “ _Yes_. We’re done.”

“I can’t even be happy I’m so tired,” Suguru groaned, slumping back against the couch. Night had fallen long ago, a light layer of snow quietly falling past their window. “Alright…click save and let’s get some rest. I’ll set an alarm on my phone; what time does it need to be turned in?”

Tetsurou had dozed off while pressing the save button several different times, just to make sure. Daishou poked his cheek, making the omega flail wildly.

“Hey. What time do you have to turn it in?”

“Um…um…nine,” Kuroo mumbled, shaking his head in an effort to wake up. “Nine, sir.”

“Pft. At ease, Kuroo. I’ll print this out and staple it—you get to bed, okay?”

Tetsurou collapsed against the couch, laptop sliding to the floor with a thud as Suguru lunged out to protect it, hissing a curse under his breath as the omega grumbled in response.

“Nn…no, daddy…I have to _pee_ …”

“Well, go pee then,” Suguru said quietly, too tired to argue or blush at the title. He set the laptop aside and helped Kuroo onto his feet, carefully leading him into their bathroom; the journalist insisted he didn’t need Daishou’s help pulling his pants down, though maybe later “they could practice,” whatever the hell _that_ meant. If the chaebol didn’t know any better, he’d say Kuroo acted more drunk when he was tired than when he was actually drunk. Kuroo stumbled out with his sweatpants riding a little too low, but he must have aimed well, because Suguru didn’t feel any wet spots when he helped him into bed; Tetsurou was out like a light the second his head hit the pillow, and after Daishou printed the report and ever so carefully placed it in a protective binder and set it on the table, he joined the omega, plopping down in exhaustion, too tired to notice how two arms wrapped around him, holding him close the remainder of the night.

The following morning was a dramatic one, Suguru’s loud ass alarms going off in the living room, where he left his phone, causing both boys to sleep an extra twenty-minutes until 8:20, at which point they were only saved by baby Suguru, who woke Kuroo up and reminded him he had to pee again. Wearing the same clothing they slept in, with the addition of a scarf and mittens for the omega, Suguru and Tetsurou hurriedly grabbed the report (and the laptop, just in case some sort of disaster took place and the paper copy was destroyed), waddled down the staircase and threw themselves into the Acura; to improve their arrival time, Tetsurou plugged his phone in and played the theme song for Tokyo Drift, telling his baby daddy to go “fast and furious, bitch.” Suguru listened out of pure delusion, barreling into the parking lot and carefully helping Kuroo (who suddenly felt twenty pounds heavier) onto the sidewalk, where other students were already heading towards the campus.

“Okay, okay,” Daishou said to himself, checking the omega over to make sure he had everything. “You have the report in your binder. You have your laptop in case you somehow lose the binder. You have your name and the sources, the correct format and…”

“And class starts in ten minutes.”

“Yes.”

“Great,” Kuroo sighed, smiling up at Suguru, the bags under his eyelids looking prettier than ever. “Thanks Daishou-chan! You’re the best baby daddy ever!”

“What have I told you about calling me that in publ—”

Suguru’s complaint was shut down by Tetsurou leaning over to lay a kiss on the chaebol’s cheek, after which he grinned and began quickly waddling towards the college, laptop and binder tucked under his arms. _What the hell was that?_ Daishou wondered, blush obvious against the soft fall of snow above, melting immediately upon touching his cheeks. _Tch…he didn’t have to kiss me…he must be totally delusional. Yeah. He’s not in his right mind. I better sit in my car and think about it for a while._

Daishou did just that, waiting for a solid thirty-minutes (silently fantasizing about kissing Kuroo again) before the devil himself emerged, looking relieved and free to enjoy his Christmas after his final report of the year; the snow fell around him in gentle waves, landing on his messier than usual hair and creating a heavenly glow around his figure. The t-shirt he wore was just a little tight around the middle, but just the right amount of cuteness that made Suguru blush again, the damned idiot…

“I did it, Suguru!” Tetsurou cheered as he stepped into the car, alerting the other back to reality. “I totally aced it, I can feel it.”

“ _We_ did it, you mean.”

“Yeah yeah, I guess you earned some of the credit this time,” Kuroo waved off, sliding his seatbelt on as Daishou pulled out of the parking lot. “Now I’m free—Christmas has officially begun!!!”

“Good, because you need to help me wrap presents when we get home.”

“Wh—What do you mean?!” The omega whined, smacking Suguru’s arm and immediately bruising him. “I’m a pregnant college student who just pulled an all-nighter to get this damn assignment in! I need a lazy blowjob followed by a nap!”

“Well, I can’t help you with either of those things, so guess you’re on your own.”

Suguru turned away to hide his blush, listening as Kuroo laughed beside him, just like how they always ended their bantering sessions. Today was different for many reasons, but the chaebol tried hiding these troubling thoughts by running his mouth about who knows what.

“I honestly can’t believe we finished it. Those sources were bitches to check, not to mention, you wrote most of them in the wrong format the first time around. Then I left my stupid phone in the living room and almost made us late…maybe we got an early Christmas miracle or something,” Suguru huffed, watching the snowflakes fall onto the windshield. “Do you think this means we—”

When Suguru dared to glance over, he was surprised to see Kuroo fast asleep in the passenger seat, pressed against the seatbelt and nuzzled into his winter scarf like a child. They approached a red light, stopping long enough where Daishou could admire the sight, impressed at the omega’s ability to feel comfortable wherever he went.

“…Ha,” The chaebol huffed. “Guess I finally wiped him out.”

When they moved forward again, Kuroo’s scarf fell from its position; Daishou hurriedly reached out and tucked the fabric back underneath his chin, making sure the heat vents were aimed on the other boy so he didn’t get cold and wake-up. It was difficult to drive in such a state, Suguru torn between watching the road to ensure their protection and watching a beautifully sleepy Kuroo, the frosty window beside him creating a nice backdrop for his black mess of hair, blurry Christmas decorations covering the streets…Suguru didn’t know much about the physics of love. He knew a few equations involving friendship, volleyball and such, but as for love, the chaebol really had no clue what to expect—but as he flickered his gaze between the snowy road and a red-nosed Kuroo Tetsurou sleeping beside him, he had a strange longing for winter to last forever, if only to continue seeing this sight and analyzing it when the time suited him.

~~~-~~~

Christmas was slowly inching its way forward, the month dragging on and on as Kuroo began to feel heavier and heavier. Although he didn’t want to admit it, the time had probably come to wear maternity clothes; Suguru refused to mention this fact, however (not wanting to get his ass beat by agreeing with Kuroo), and they focused their energy on gift wrapping in the baby’s room for the time being. While Tetsurou was much better at wrapping than his snake of a roommate, he felt lazier than usual today and made Daishou do most of the work, telling him which paper to use on certain gifts, which cards to use, etc. etc. The chaebol took it all in stride, feeling the Christmas spirit too much for Kuroo’s bossy tendencies to affect him.

“And put that blue bow on Akaashi’s—no, on the other corner—there you go!”

“Anything else, your majesty?”

“Do we have any hot chocolate left?”

“Of course, you made me buy six boxes when it was on sale,” Daishou mumbled without malice, because he loved hot coco as much as the next guy. “We’ll have some after I finish here.”

“Oh, that reminds me! Will you help me up quick?” Kuroo requested, putting his hands up in the air. “I feel fatter than usual today.”

“You’re not _fat_ , idiot.”

Suguru gently pulled the omega to his aching feet, ignoring the pull in his chest when Tetsurou almost fell right into him, swollen tummy brushing against his side; he watched as the journalist waddled off into the bedroom, returning with a huge box he probably shouldn’t have been carrying and throwing it onto the floor dramatically.

“When Akaashi came over to tell me that he and Kiyoko were officially moving in with Bokuto after the holidays are over, he also dropped off this box of maternity clothes for me to wear! How cool is that?”

For some stupid reason Daishou’s cheeks were red when Kuroo briefly glanced over. He was too excited about the Christmas clothes to care much, though, and began digging through the box and throwing cute shirts in Suguru’s direction as he finished wrapping a present.

“Ah…I see,” The chaebol nodded, but he didn’t know what he was agreeing to. Images of Akaashi in a sex shop kept harassing his mind.

“Bokuto’s super pumped,” Tetsurou informed him, taking his shirt off suddenly to slide a red sweater over his figure, giving Suguru another shock. “He’s been waiting for my sorry ass to move out for a long time, now…stupid sleeve, just go on—ah ha!”

The omega kneeled on his knees and held the sweater out away from his body so he could see the cute pattern of Christmas kittens and white snowflakes scattered around. Suguru couldn’t blink, couldn’t really do anything, because Tetsurou was wearing black leggings and a dorky red sweater with cats on it and it reminded him too much of some creepy objects he saw in the sex shop and then he couldn’t get raunchy images of a very sexy Kuroo out of his stupid head and—

“Awww, this one is so cute!” The omega cooed, beaming at the sweater. “Look at all the cats and snowflakes! It’s nice and baggy, too; actually, if I pull the collar down my shoulder…”

Suguru really didn’t know what game Kuroo was playing, but his aching groin was sick of it. Tetsurou pulled the collar of the sweater down a ways, so far it revealed his collarbone and peered over at Daishou with a seductive, playful look that turned dark when he opened his mouth.

“Hey—wanna have some hot Christmas sex, Suguru?”

“Wh—I—A— _Absolutely not_!” Daishou blushed madly, hurriedly standing so his anger seemed more real. “Are you fucking crazy?! We can’t just start having _sex_ because we live together and will be having a child together! What are you thinking?!”

“Calm down edgelord,” Kuroo said innocently, putting his hands up in surrender, although his collarbone was still bare enough to drive the chaebol crazy. “I was only joking…though, in all seriousness, you’ll have sex with me when my hormones start to go crazy, won’t you?”

“No, I won’t!”

“What?! You’d neglect the omega you got pregnant and miss another opportunity to get in these tight pants?”

“Just—Just shut up!” Suguru whined like a child, turning away and crossing his arms. “We’re not starting a friends-with-benefits type of relationship; that oversteps the boundaries of our co-existence, and I won’t be the blame for the deterioration of this partnership.”

“Take a chill pill, will you?” Tetsurou huffed, finally pulling the sweater back over his exposed skin. “I was just joking, anyway.”

“Yeah right! You’ve been trying to sleep with me every chance you get, perv!”

“Wha—I am not a _perv_!”

“Are too, you tried manipulating the spirit of Christmas to seduce me!”

“Playful banter, Suguru, playful banter!”

Daishou groaned in annoyance and flopped back down to finish wrapping presents, hoping his blush would go away if he focused on writing the tag for Akaashi’s gift, but that only made his blush worse, recalling the mall incident, which then reminded him of the supplies he bought, which then made him realize Kuroo would be at his throat if he ever discovered those items when Suguru just chewed him out for an attempt at seduction…

“Whatever,” The alpha mumbled at nothing.

“Don’t be such a baby,” Kuroo chided, pulling himself up and kicking the box of maternity clothes to the side. “I’m going to make hot chocolate in that fancy coffee maker of yours—do you want some or not?”

“…Yes, please.”

“Alright—then admit I look good in this sweater.”

Suguru whipped his head around in fury, glaring at that stupid smirk on Tetsurou’s lips as he mentally thought the situation over; if he refused to agree out of spite, there was a chance Kuroo might take him seriously and misinterpret the message as him being too fat for the Christmas sweater. If he agreed, however, Kuroo would make him hot chocolate…and might feel good about himself. In the months coming, Suguru had a feeling the omega would need all the confidence boosters he could receive, so it wasn’t a bad idea to start early…but…Suguru Daishou was a spiteful person. It was in his blood as a businessman, as a volleyball player, a captain—if he let Kuroo win now, that gave him power. That cunning cat didn’t need more power over Suguru when the alpha already liked him more than he ever wanted to admit. Tetsurou waited patiently for an answer, belly almost unable to be seen underneath the baggy red Christmas sweater with cute little cats and snowflakes printed all over…

_Well—he does look pretty adorable…and I really, really want hot chocolate right now._

“You look good in that sweater,” Suguru said quietly.

“DAISHOU’S THIRSTY FOR PREGNANT OMEGAS!” Kuroo shouted at the top of his lungs, prancing out of the room fairly athletically for someone who was over three-months pregnant. “I’M LIVING WITH A KINKY SLYTHERIN!!!”

Suguru was utterly speechless as he was left alone in the baby’s room, listening to Tetsurou laugh and screech as he made his way into the kitchen for hot chocolate; of all the nasty tricks to pull…Daishou forced him to count to ten before slowly exiting their son’s room and entering the kitchen, where he expected to find Kuroo grinning like an idiot with more insults ready for firing—instead, Suguru had to look around for a moment until spotting the omega standing in the living room. His hazel eyes were wide, staring down at something in shock.

“What is it?” Daishou asked in concern, though his pride was still hurt. “Can’t come up with anymore insults?”

Kuroo didn’t reply. Instead, he reached down towards the coffee table slowly, returning with the DVD copy of _Good Doctor_. He stared at it like an idiot, confusing Suguru further.

“Well? What’s wrong?”

The omega finally tore his gaze off the cover, but still said nothing as those cat eyes locked on Suguru.

“…What the fuck are you staring at me like that for, freak?!” The chaebol hissed in irritation, feeling blush creep up on his neck. “Cut it out! I know I have a pregnancy kink, okay?!”

“Why is this here?” The other whispered.

“…What? What are you talking about?”

“My _Good Doctor_ DVD,” Tetsurou repeated, holding the TV show up. “Why is it in the living room?”

“How should I know? You leave your shit everywhere. Remember the other day when I found your underwear in a kitchen drawer? Your _dirty_ underwear?”

“Suguru,” The black-haired boy repeated, eyes sparkling. “…Why is my DVD in the living room when the last place _I_ watched it was in the bedroom?”

Daishou opened his mouth to talk back again, but his voice had run off to hide underneath the nearest rock. They stood frozen for a solid thirty-seconds before the redness splattered on the chaebol’s cheeks gave Kuroo the answer he was looking for.

“YOU WATCH _GOOD DOCTOR_!!!!!!!” Tetsurou shouted in surprised glee, bouncing up and down excitedly. “SUGURU WATCHES ONE OF MY SHOWS!!! THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED!!!!”

“No!”

“Yes you do!!! You watch it, and you _LOVE IT_!!!!!”

“OKAY!” Daishou screamed, hands going up to tug at his hair wildly as he let the confession spill from his stupid snake lips. “I watch _Good Doctor_!!! Sue me! It’s your fucking fault for making me watch it with you, I couldn’t just stop because I wanted to know if Shindo’s dad was going to hurt him again, and then I wanted to know if his doctor friend was going to die of cancer and then I had to know if Iyo-chan would be okay and—and—”

“Oh my gosh…I can’t believe I didn’t notice!” Kuroo laughed, eyes watering from amusement and surprise. “This is great! Daishou Suguru, chaebol of Japan, watches my sappy Japanese show!”

“S-Shut up,” The other boy grumbled in embarrassment. “It’s…It’s a good show, okay?”

“Wait wait wait…don’t tell me—do you watch _Goblin_ , too?”

The russet-haired college student mumbled something under his breath that Kuroo didn’t catch.

“What?” He asked, stepping closer, eyes gleaming with anticipation. Suguru’s mistake was glancing upwards into those hazel eyes; he couldn’t go back, now, not when what he was admitting made Kuroo so happy. After releasing a quiet sigh, Daishou spoke louder.

“…My car’s name is Deok Hwa.”

“Oh my _god_!!!!!!!”

Kuroo shrieked and flung himself into the couch, dying of laughter and holding onto his stomach for dear life as Suguru stood to the side, hating the smile trying to worm its way onto his lips. The omega laughed for a solid ten-minutes, long enough for Daishou to start making their hot chocolate, but not long enough for his blush to go down a shade. It really wasn’t something to be ashamed of…Suguru really liked _Goblin_ , he watched when the show first aired, cried whenever the Grim Reaper and Sunny interacted, cried whenever the chaebol Deok Hwa cried, even named his precious car after him—the _Good Doctor_ part was entirely Kuroo’s fault. Suguru hadn’t meant to fall into that living hell, but here he was, on episode eighteen already, hating himself and loving Shindo Minato to pieces. When Kuroo finally let his laughter die down, he turned face-up on the couch, peering across the room to smile brightly at Suguru, who looked evenly back, refusing to give a smile—he had given Kuroo enough amusement for one hour, hadn’t he?

“I can’t believe this, Suguru,” Tetsurou said, shaking his head in disbelief. “All this time I’ve been rambling about Goblin, thinking you didn’t understand, when really, you’re more obsessed than I am! Hahahaaaa…that’s so classic.”

“Yeah,” Daishou mumbled. “Your hot chocolate is ready.”

“You named your fancy car Deok Hwa, you know what a chaebol is, and you’ve feigned innocence for the past four months—I have to give you credit for that. Well done, snake-chan!”

Tetsurou was still giggling as he heaved himself off the couch and went to retrieve his mug of hot chocolate; he was too giddy to really drink it, however, and set the cup aside to dance around more, much to Suguru’s irritation, though he said nothing, admiring the view silently from where he leaned against the counter.

“Hehe! I suppose I have to add more _Goblin_ names to the baby list, then,” Kuroo said, pointing a finger at Daishou. “Or maybe we should add the actor’s names; I do love me a little Lee Dong Wook…but the kid who plays Deok Hwa is also in a K-pop band, so maybe we should go that direction.”

“Can we stop talking about this for a minute? _Please_?”

“Hey,” The omega began suddenly, changing the pace of conversation as he stopped jumping around and flailing his arms. “I’ve been thinking, and…no matter what first name we pick for the baby…I decided that I—I want him to have your last name.”

Suguru choked on his hot chocolate, making his eyes water terribly as he coughed violently, shooting Kuroo a surprised expression when he recovered. Had he heard the omega right?

“Oh. Um…you…really? Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” Kuroo nodded eagerly.

“You, uh…don’t have to do that,” Daishou shifted awkwardly, feeling bad as he set his mug down. “Just because I’m an alpha or whatever…he can have your last name if you really want. I won’t be mad or anything.”

“Well, I just thought it would be nice, since, you know,” Tetsurou shrugged, feeling sheepish. “You’ve been trying really hard for him this entire time, readjusting your entire chaebol lifestyle for his sake, so…I wouldn’t mind _too_ terribly if he had your last name.”

Suguru studied the journalist’s expression for a long moment, trying to decipher whether or not he was lying or just continuing the conversation only to make a Kdrama reference later. There didn’t seem to be any obvious signs of malice intent…although Daishou had been fooled by Kuroo and his stupidly dorkish face before, he didn’t think the soon to be mother would really joke about something this serious. If he did, however, that was a cruelty Suguru didn’t know if he could take, so he tried turning the conversation around to see if guilt would trigger and honest reaction from Kuroo.

“That’s nice of you, Kuroo, really, but…I think he should have your name.”

“Too late—I’m already set on baby Suguru,” The journalist pretended to flip his hair as he grabbed his mug from the island. “Besides…the Slytherin heir must live on.”

Suguru understood that reference as well, and that line was what confirmed his growing smile. Tetsurou had to pause before taking a drink, throat tightening in a gulp when he caught sight of the chaebol’s shy little grin hidden behind his cup. Daishou reveled in pride for a second longer before nodding happily.

“Alright then,” He agreed. “He’ll have my last name, and you can pick the first name and middle name.”

“ _Yesssssss_! Here, look, I already have some picked out!” Kuroo said hurriedly, snatching a few loose papers from off the counter and shoving them in Daishou’s direction. “Take a look! They’re all pretty damn cool, if I do say so myself. Personally, I like the second and third ones.”

Of course Suguru knew they had both been scribbling out baby names here and there, but Kuroo’s list literally had _hundreds_ of names scattered on the paper, most of them crossed out until the omega must have taken the liberty to pick his favorites, writing them in pink marker on the side beside the other scribbles. Daishou read the list slowly, eyebrows raising when he realized what kind of pattern they were taking on.

“…Kuroo.”

“Yeah?”

“These are all names from TV shows.”

“That’s the basis of their appeal, Daishou-chan.”

Suguru rolled his eyes, scanning over the pink hued names on the side: _Cheol, Jung-rok, Shin, Yamaguchi_ and _Mimikyu_.

“This one’s not from a TV show!” Tetsurou claimed, pointing to Cheol.

“It’s from that sappy _Always_ Korean movie,” The chaebol retaliated.

“Yeah, so?”

“Jeez…what are the other ones from?”

“Jung-rok is from _Reach of Sincerity_ , Shin is from _Goblin_ (as you know, hehe) and Mimikyu—you better know what that’s from, Suguru.”

“No son of mine is going to be named after a Pokémon. What’s Yamaguchi from?”

“Oh, that one isn’t from a show, but that’s the name of the biggest yakuza syndicate in all of Japan.”

Suguru set the list down and walked out of the kitchen with his hot chocolate, trying hard not to imagine his son growing-up knowing he was named after a violent gang family…Daisuke would sure love that…

“Hey, I thought it was good!” Kuroo yelled at the alpha, huffing when Suguru shut the bedroom door, not to come out for a solid three-hours. Tetsurou stood in the kitchen for a while, reflecting in the awe of his roommate secretly watching _Good Doctor_ and _Goblin_ …it really was a Christmas miracle. The miracle would have been better if Kuroo ended-up getting laid, but he took what he could get. The omega laughed under his breath while sipping at the warm hot chocolate, absentmindedly pushing the list of baby boy names around on the island; they really didn’t have a lot of time to choose a baby name when Kuroo really thought about it. There were hundreds of babies born in Japan every day, and if they didn’t stake a claim on one name, someone else might snatch their favorite away. Tetsurou really didn’t want that to happen, and he thought of Yaku’s rushing tendencies while scanning over the names again, not really feeling a special connection towards any of them so far—he did notice, however, that there was one fandom not represented in the column yet.

Taking another sip of hot coco, Kuroo smiled and added another name to the list in pink marker:

 

_SHINDO_

 

_December 23 rd_

_Christmas with Bokuto and Akaashi_

Christmas had officially arrived, and the first trip Suguru and Kuroo took wasn’t too far away, back at Kuroo’s old apartment complex where Akaashi, Bokuto and Kiyoko (wearing her Mulan dress, an early present from Akaashi) were waiting for them. There was a crap ton of food ready to be eaten, curtesy of Keiji remembering what he always craved during his pregnancy, and thankfully for Suguru, the omega did a great job of pretending the incident at _Goodies!_ never ever happened. Bokuto was oblivious, as usual, playing with Kiyoko by the tree until it was time to open presents. Kuroo sat on the couch like a lump on a log, content to eat the entire plate of fudge Akaashi made while Suguru helped sort the presents; despite Akaashi saying their guests would go first, the boys let Kiyoko open her presents before them.

“Open ours first, Kiyoko!” Tetsurou pointed eagerly, wearing that stupid kitten snowflake sweater again. “Ours is the best!”

“Okay,” Kiyoko shrugged, pushing her glasses up and adjusting her Mulan outfit before plopping down in front of a large present. “What’s inside?”

“It’s a—”

“Dude,” Suguru hissed, nudging the omega with his foot from the other side of the couch. “Don’t tell her before she opens it!”

“That’s how she tricked me, too,” Akaashi rolled his eyes, sipping on some champagne as Bokuto sat at his feet. “Hence why she’s wearing her Mulan outfit now.”

“She’s a tricky kid!” Koutarou agreed, watching as Kiyoko unwrapped her present.

“What is it, Kiyoko?”

“A Hamtaro playset and _Ponyo_ stuff!” Kiyoko nearly yelled, the most emotion Suguru had ever seen from her. Christmas was for kids, after all. “Thank you thank you thank you, Kuroo and Suguru-san!”

“Aww, I wanted _Ponyo_ stuff for Christmas!” Bokuto whined, investigating the _Ponyo_ themed gifts Kiyoko got. “This isn’t fair!”

“It’s hard to tell who the child is,” Akaashi mumbled from his spot, watching as his daughter and boyfriend began setting out the Hamtaro playset. “We’ll play with them later—why don’t you open the present Bokuto got you?”

“Daddy’s no fun,” Koutarou grumbled to Kiyoko, who nodded her head as they set the toys aside.

“What did you get me, Bokuto-san?”

“Don’t answer that, Bo,” Kuroo cackled as his best friend went to reply.

“Just open it and see.”

Kiyoko eagerly ripped the colorful paper off the package, normally empty expression freezing when the present was revealed; even Akaashi looked confused from where he sat, peering over the mess of paper to try and see what she looked so surprised about. Kuroo sat forward curiously, watching in awe as Kiyoko slowly grabbed hold of the customized American Girl doll, lifting it up so she could inspect every little detail, as the doll was made to look exactly like her, glasses and all.

“Woah,” Suguru said, everyone else nodding in agreement. “It looks just like her…”

“She’s always wanted one of those dolls,” Akaashi explained in a daze, watching as Kiyoko hugged the doll to her chest. “She looks at them whenever we go shopping…”

“You really got this for me, Bokuto-san?” Kiyoko asked quietly, gazing up at the owlish man with wide, midnight blue eyes.

“Of course I did!” The alpha grinned happily. “You’re my favorite girl!”

No one really expected Kiyoko to burst into tears and crawl onto Bokuto’s lap while still cradling the doll to her chest, but that’s how the night went for a solid twenty-minutes. Kuroo wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry along with her, suddenly realizing he was already nearly half-way through his first pregnancy, that his son would be here when spring came…it was all very overwhelming, and before they had two crying toddlers on their hands, Akaashi distracted everyone by giving Suguru and Kuroo their gift.

“Just so you know, I had nothing to do with this,” The omega claimed, handing Daishou the giant box. “It was entirely Bokuto-san’s idea.”

“That’s comforting, considering how his gift to Kiyoko made her cry,” Suguru mumbled, glancing over the present suspiciously. “…Maybe you should open it, Kuroo.”

“Screw you, I’m eating—it’ll be fine. Just carefully tear it at the sides and maybe nothing will come shooting out.”

Suguru did just that, tugging at the sides until the paper fell away; he pried the tape off with caution, relieved to see nothing but clothing inside (although he was a little pissed they got such a crappy gift until he pulled the clothing out.)

“Awwww!” Tetsurou cooed through his bite of fudge. “Matching onesies!”

Inside the box was a black cat onesie for Kuroo, a frighteningly Halloweenish snake onesie for Suguru and a tiny, grey and blue owl onesie made for a baby. They were pretty adorable, enough to make Suguru smile as he held the owl pajamas up to his chest to admire them.

“I didn’t know if you were having a boy or a girl, so I figured an owl was a pretty neutral animal,” Bokuto explained. “Um…you did find out at your last appointment, didn’t you?”

Suguru coughed to push the memory of accidentally telling Akaashi the gender of their baby out of his head.

“Yeah, we did,” Kuroo smiled. “And…”

“You were wrong.” Daishou finished.

“What?!” Koutarou screeched, jumping to his feet while still holding Kiyoko. “I was wrong?! _How_?!”

“Think about it, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi smiled mildly, though Suguru caught the wink he sent him. “Kuroo and Suguru-san are both only sons. It was only logical. Now hand my money over, please.”

“Wha—you—you’re really having a boy?! That’s so sick!!! Congratulations, bro!”

“Thanks, buddy.”

“A boy! It’s a _boy_ , Akaashi!” Bokuto repeated, hitting Keiji’s arm excitedly. “So cool!”

“ _I want a baby brother, too!_ ” Kiyoko yelled into Koutarou’s chest, making everyone burst out laughing.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Akaashi answered mildly, though there was a tiny smile on his lips. “Kiyoko, why don’t you go grab a few tissues and wipe your nose—after that you can play with your new toys.”

Bokuto retrieved a few tissues for Kiyoko and another plate of goodies for Kuroo, cleaning up their mess of wrapping paper while Suguru thanked him for the pajamas. He wasn’t looking forward to putting on the snake onesie, but if it made Kuroo laugh, he guessed the humiliation was worth it. Why did he keep coming back to that thought lately?

“Are those maternity clothes working out for you, Kuroo-san?”

“Oh yeah, they’re great! Are you sure you don’t want to keep some of them, though? You know…” Tetsurou almost glanced at Bokuto, wondering where he was hiding that engagement ring. “In case you ever want more kids?”

“I still have a bunch in my closet, so not to worry.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Suguru-san,” Kiyoko whispered, tugging on the alpha’s dress pants. “Will you help me set Hamtaro up, please?”

“Oh—sure!” Suguru coughed awkwardly. “Um…lead the way.”

As Kiyoko stole Suguru away from the couch to play near the Christmas tree, Bokuto plopped down beside his bestie and threw back a glass of champagne, beating on his chest like it was a great accomplishment. Akaashi and Tetsurou continued their conversation from before, disregarding the display.

“You’re starting your second trimester, aren’t you, Kuroo-san?”

“Yup. My appetite’s gotten a little out of control lately…”

“But you’re having a boy!” Bokuto interrupted happily. “That’s so cool!”

“Your stomach will probably begin to drop lower as you gain some weight,” Keiji went on, getting a whine from his boyfriend at being ignored. “Have you been feeling ill at all?”

“Not so much anymore,” Kuroo shrugged, rubbing his stomach over the dorky sweater. “Although I will admit I’ve been horny as hell recently…”

“Really?” Akaashi said in surprise, a strange expression coming to his face.

“Hoot hoot, let Suguru get a piece of _that_ —”

Thankfully, Kiyoko and Suguru weren’t listening, too absorbed in the complicated set-up of Hamtaro land to really listen; Kiyoko handed the alpha pieces one at a time, holding her precious American Girl doll in the other arm as they quietly sat together, a bit of awkwardness on Daishou’s side, since he really didn’t have much experience with children.

“You look very pretty in your Mulan outfit, Kiyoko.” He complimented, figuring girls like to hear they looked cute.

“Thank you,” She nodded politely. “You look pretty in that green sweater.”

Suguru snorted to himself, doubting she meant that, although Kuroo had said the same thing before they left; his exact phrasing was a bit different (“Hey; that pukey green sweater doesn’t make you look like total shit.”) but it was meant to be a compliment, the alpha was sure.

“So…you want a little brother, huh?” Suguru asked her casually, forcing a hamster tube onto another part of the toy. “Do you think your mom and Bokuto will have a baby someday?”

“Mhm,” Kiyoko nodded, petting down the hair of her doll. “Mommy really likes Bokuto-san, and Bokuto-san says he really loves Mommy.”

“Ahh, I see.”

“You and Kuroo-san love each other, and you’re having a baby, so I want Mommy and Bokuto to be like you.”

Daishou paused abruptly, accidentally flinging one of the Hamtaro figures into the wall beside them; of course, to a child, it only made sense that two people having a baby together were in love…it should have made sense to Suguru as well, and he didn’t have the heart to correct Kiyoko. It wasn’t like he hated the stupid cat anymore—he didn’t exactly like his disgusting habits and how dorkish he acted most of the time, but…Kuroo wouldn’t be a bad mate for someone compatible with him. Whether or not that someone was Suguru himself, neither boy knew.

“…Right,” Daishou nodded in agreement, smiling down at Kiyoko. “Like Kuroo and I.”

The little girl nodded again, adjusting one of the toy sets as Suguru completed their playground, retrieving Hamtaro and setting him on the very top of the little hamster building for all to see. Kiyoko clapped, then held out her doll towards Suguru with determination.

“Now Kiyoko-doll-san destroys the village.” She said blankly.

“…Um…alright.”

“And kills Hamtaro to claim the city.”

“How about she just imprisons him instead?”

Kiyoko shrugged mildly. Suguru watched in fear as the doll version of Akaashi’s daughter tore down Hamtaro’s village piece by piece, swiping away the competition and renaming the city _KIYOKOVILLE_ , all the while Kuroo, Bokuto and Akaashi talked about serious baby stuff on the couch. Daishou was pretty entertained by how awesome the ideas of children were (however morbid they could be) and became excited over the idea of playing with their son in his peach room, Hamtaro collectables and gender-neutral dolls scattered over the carpet while Kuroo pretended to be sucked in by invisible lava.

“I think you’ll get a sibling one day, Kiyoko-chan.” Suguru said once Kiyoko had finished conquering Hamtaro land.

“Really?” She asked, peering up at him with those dark, mysterious eyes.

“Absolutely.”

“Will it be a girl or a boy?”

“I’m not really sure…”

“I think it’ll be a girl.”

“Really?”

“Mhm.” Kiyoko nodded firmly. “Bokuto-san isn’t manly enough to have boys.”

Suguru laughed his ass off in the corner until it was time to leave for the night; he and Kuroo were taking off for Nekoma in the morning, and with Tetsurou’s peeing schedule, it was best to get to bed early so he could get a scattered eight hours in through the breaks. Kiyoko gave both boys hugs, thanked them for their gifts then ran off to hide behind Bokuto, clinging to his legs like he was already part of the family; despite Suguru’s thoughtful state of mind, he hadn’t forgotten about the final present hidden inside his coat pocket.

“Thanks for everything you guys,” Tetsurou said, nudging Akaashi playfully as they headed for the door. “This was really great. We’ll cherish the onesies forever.”

“Glad to hear it. And congrats about the boy, again!” Bokuto cheered.

When Kuroo and his best friend were hugging it out, Suguru snuck past Akaashi and whispered quietly.

“By the way, I got you something,” Daishou said, pressing a $50 gift card to _Goodies!_ into Akaashi’s hand slyly. “Go crazy.”

Akaashi’s blush was certainly a sight to see, midnight blue eyes glaring at Suguru darkly as he hurriedly hid the gift card behind his body.

“You really are a sick bastard,” The omega hissed.

Suguru winked and followed Kuroo out the front door.

“Merry Christmas, Akaashi-kun.”

 

_Christmas Eve at Mori’s_

The following morning was Christmas Eve, and Kuroo had never been more excited to visit his father; he felt sort of accomplished, having his super rich baby daddy drive him home for the holidays in an Acura NSX, cruising down the streets of old town Nekoma…of course, he felt less cool being lectured by Suguru on safety for pregnant omegas as passengers or drivers, but once they rolled into Mori’s driveway, Kuroo pulled his patience back in and nodded in response to Daishou’s ramblings. Mori was already waiting outside for them in his coat and mittens, hurrying down the front steps the second they pulled in to give Kuroo a big hug.

“Tetsu!!!” Mori cheered happily, careful not to squish the baby between them. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas,” Kuroo smiled, patting his dad on the back as Suguru stepped out of the car. “But why does it have to be so _cold_?”

“Don’t worry—I already have some hot chocolate heating-up on the stove.”

“You’re the best, Dad.”

“Daishou!” Mori addressed, hopping around the side of the Acura to pull the alpha into a tight hug, much to the chaebol’s surprise. “How are you? It’s great to see you again!”

“Uhhh…yeah—I’m good. Nice to see you, too…”

“You help Kuroo inside and I’ll grab the presents and your bags,” Mori said, already sneaking into the back seat to grab the gifts they brought along. “Make yourself at home!”

Suguru stood by the side of his car for a few seconds, a little stunned that Mori could somehow be even happier than usual, only snapping out of his funk when Kuroo whistled to get his attention. The trio hurried inside to escape the cold winter weather, sliding into guest slippers and watching as Mori bustled around the house, setting the presents underneath the tree then rushing into the kitchen to retrieve the hot coco. All the while, Suguru investigated their surroundings, knowing this was the same house Kuroo grew-up in; it felt so much different than the home Daishou grew-up in. Honestly, it felt more like a home than any other location where the chaebol lived had…everything about the decorations oozed love and patience, every blanket homemade, each picture framed in dark mahogany, every scrap of wallpaper from the 90’s terrible, but not so terrible that it ruined the layout. The carpet was squishy and soft, still, the appliances old but sturdy, and not a single door was closed, hiding no secrets or dead bodies, not even the messiness of the puzzle and games closet near the living room. There were lots of reds and brown hues scattered throughout the home, Nekoma volleyball banners and articles Suguru didn’t look at for longer than two-seconds hung-up near a writing desk, and there were also several trophies of some kind that seemed too old to belong to Kuroo, and so must have been Mori’s from long ago.

“I’ll put the bags in your room, okay, Tetsurou?”

“Ew, I’m gunna have to sleep with a _snake_ for the next two nights?”

“Tetsu, don’t be rude to the father of your child!”

Daishou knew Kuroo’s mother had passed away long ago, but even so, as Tetsurou led him into the living room Suguru couldn’t help but feel like there was still a woman hovering in their presence. Maybe Mori hadn’t changed anything since her passing, wanting to keep her memory alive so Kuroo wouldn’t forget her…there were pictures of her and a younger Mori scattered everywhere, though Suguru couldn’t get close enough to see, and there were even some homemade ornaments with Kuroo and his mother on them; he wouldn’t have been ashamed to admit that he found them very cute.

“A bunch of my garage pals begged me to let them come over tonight, but I selfishly denied them,” Mori announced while bringing in three mugs of hot chocolate. Kuroo had plopped down on the couch while Suguru was still checking out the living room area, briefly listening while admiring the large, twinkling Christmas tree set up beside the fire place, providing them with much welcomed heat. “They get drunk too easily, anyway—I’ll give them some scraps on the 26th when I see them again. I hope you guys like American food, because I’m obsessed and I’m making a _heck_ of a lot of mashed potatoes tonight.”

“Good, because I’m _starving_ ,” Tetsurou groaned, grabbing at his stomach. “I wasn’t hungry this morning so I didn’t eat, but fancy boy over there just _had_ to pick-up a latte before we left and made me smell it the entire drive over.”

“I asked if you wanted something without caffeine—you said to shut up and drive, so that’s what I did.”

“Still the bickering pair, aren’t you?” Mori chuckled, sitting in his recliner comfortably. “Say—don’t you have any news for me on my grandchild?”

“I almost forgot!” Kuroo hollered, eyes widening as he hurriedly dug through his jacket where he had the ultrasound pictures. “Here, here; the gender’s pretty obvious, so you may as well just look and see.”

“Oh jeez…I’m so nervous, I don’t know what to expect,” Mori said anxiously, accepting the pictures slowly. “I mean, we’ll be happy no matter what, but I’m really nervous for some reason!”

“Suguru, come sit down!”

Daishou hurriedly obeyed and sat down to Kuroo’s left, eager to see Mori’s emotions at the reveal of his grandchild’s gender; the reception from his own parents had been less than satisfying, so Suguru hoped Kuroo’s father could make-up for their failure. He sat down beside a giggly Kuroo and eagerly waited for Mori to turn the pictures over—after releasing a deep breath, the older alpha did so, scanning over the ultrasound pictures silently. It didn’t take him long to find something, and Suguru watched quietly, heart beating anxiously, as if there were a chance Kuroo’s father would not be impressed.

“…It’s a boy?” Mori smiled warmly, never taking his eyes off the images.

“Mhm.”

“Wow…haha,” He laughed, hands tightening their grip on the pictures. “A boy—for real?”

“Yeah,” His son grinned. “It’s a boy.”

Mori was apparently rendered speechless for a moment, standing up so he could plop back down next to Tetsurou and wrap an arm around his shoulder while still maintaining his stare at the ultrasound. Suguru kind of hoped he wouldn’t cry, though, because as an outsider to the family it would be a little awkward sitting on the other side of Kuroo while they both cried over a picture…Suguru wasn’t good with crying people, anyway, being too much of a crybaby himself. He was starting to hope their son would be more like Kuroo, because he really wasn’t looking very great of a character right now.

“I’m speechless,” Mori laughed joyfully, holding back tears. “Congratulations, you two.”

“Thank you,” Daishou nodded.

“This is great—have you gotten his room painted yet? Did you put shelves and decorations up?”

“Of course we did, Dad,” Kuroo confirmed playfully, falling back into the couch coolly. “We’re way ahead of the game.”

“Well don’t be too ahead of the game,” Mori warned, nudging his son’s hand away when he reached for the ultrasound pictures. “This is your first pregnancy, you should be wanting time to move slowly so you can remember every little detail. Right, Suguru-kun?”

“Right. I’ve tried telling him that, but you know how he gets…”

“Wha—are you _kidding_ me, Suguru?” Tetsurou replied wildly. “You probably got that from one of your stupid parenting books or something! And you _definitely_ never told me that before.”

“You’re still pretty spritely for being in your fourth month, Tetsu,” His father chuckled. “I hope for Daishou’s sake you mellow out and get really tired the last few months…”

Kuroo pouted for much of the morning as Suguru and Mori took turns teasing the omega for his whiny tendencies; despite Christmas Eve being quiet, just the three of them, Daishou couldn’t remember a time he had been more content. He was warm, allowed silent moments to think, filled-up on delicious hot chocolate, got to see embarrassing pictures of baby Tetsurou in a sailor outfit, got to watch _ELF_ for the hundredth time, and best of all, wasn’t continuously harassed or confronted by any nosy relatives shoving their perfect opinions on how to raise a child in his face. Kuroo, too, seemed much more relaxed than usual, dozing off on the couch several times followed by seven trips to the bathroom despite only drinking two cups of hot chocolate…the pair could only wish that this holiday peace would last for the next thirty-years or so. Light snow began falling in the late afternoon when Mori began cooking, turning Kuroo cranky when he found out their meal wouldn’t be done for another three hours or so, but Suguru reminded him that the ham and turkey would be perfectly done if he could just be patient. Forty-seven games of cards later, it was finally time to eat.

“Kuroo, I better see you pile lots of corn on your plate,” Mori advised, setting a delicious looking plate of ham onto the table in front of Suguru. “The baby needs more than just meat on his bones.”

“Alright, alright…”

“Don’t you like corn?” Daishou wondered, watching as the omega scooped a tiny amount of corn onto his plate, making sure it didn’t touch anything else.

“Not particularly,” Kuroo replied while scrunching his nose.

“Imagine how difficult it was getting him to eat veggies as a kid!”

“You didn’t like vegetables either?” Suguru smiled mildly, recalling how his own habits used to be.

“How did anyone expect their baby to eat mashed-up green mush that was supposed to be peas? That’s unethical!”

“I’ll be honest, Kuroo, I was a little worried you’d become a picky little monster when we couldn’t get you to eat healthy food for a solid four years,” Mori revealed, handing Daishou the mashed potatoes. “Thankfully your mother knew how to remedy the situation.”

“What did she do?” Suguru snickered.

“She made zucchini cake and told me the green stringy pieces were magical, and that the more I ate, the taller I’d be when I grew-up,” Kuroo rolled his eyes. “I fell for it, of course, and the rest is history.”

“It must have worked a little bit.”

“What do you mean ‘a little bit’? I’m taller than you, Suguru!”

“How many times do I have to tell you that your hair doesn’t count, Kuroo?”

“Jeez, don’t get him started on that hair,” His father laughed as they began eating. “It was an absolute disaster in middle school, trying to comb it down enough where he no longer looked like he hadn’t taken a shower in weeks.”

Dinner continued with strikes against Kuroo, piles and piles of mashed potatoes and gravy, slices of thick ham and turkey sandwiches, three of which Tetsurou ate within a span of five-minutes. Suguru somehow couldn’t imagine having Christmas Eve any other way, forgot every memory he had before of chaebol Christmases, but jumped ahead in time to next Christmas, hoping they could do this again next year, maybe with Bokuto, Akaashi and Kiyoko tagging along. That sounded fun. Little baby Suguru, all dressed up in his cute holiday onesie, opening his own presents despite not understanding what was going on…everyone drooling over him, taking turns holding him and tickling him…maybe Christmas at grandpa Mori’s could become a tradition.

“That was really great, Mori-san,” Suguru complimented, sitting back in his chair as he felt his stomach expand three sizes. Kuroo, meanwhile, was still nibbling on his second piece of apple pie. “Thanks for having us tonight.”

“You’re welcome anytime, Daishou.”

“Well,” Tetsurou mumbled over his final bite. “Not _anytime_ …”

“Yes, _anytime_.”

A distant ringing noise caught Suguru’s attention, and he traced the source to his cell phone stuffed in the pocket of his coat in the hallway; there was really only one person it could be at this time of day, and only out of guilt did Daishou excuse himself to enter the hallway and answer.

“Sorry, that’s mine,” Suguru said, pushing his chair out. “It’s probably my mom.”

“Take your time,” Mori waved off. “Tetsurou and I will start cleaning up.”

“What?! You would make your pregnant son—”

“Nice try, buddy, but I’m not falling for that sob story.”

Suguru entered the entryway and searched through his pockets to find the ringing phone, pulling it out to confirm that his mother was the person calling. After a quick sigh, the alpha answered with mild cheer, scurrying down the hallway so Mori and Kuroo wouldn’t be able to hear him talk (and, if his mother tricked him into talking to Daisuke, curse).

“Hey, Mom. Merry Christmas.”

“ _Merry Christmas, Daishou!_ ” Sora said on the other line. “ _Is it snowing in Nekoma? I heard there was a chance of flurries tonight_.”

“It’s been on and off all day,” Daishou shrugged, stepping into Kuroo’s old room. “How are things there?”

“ _Fine, fine! Your great uncle decided to show up this year, and he was asking about you; we love the presents, by the way! Those ultrasounds are so precious!”_

“I’m glad. Kuroo said to tell you all the food you made him was incredible.”

“ _Aww, he’s such a sweetheart_ …” Sora replied.

_Sweetheart my ass._

“Yeah, he’s…something, alright.”

“ _Your aunt said she wanted a few copies of the baby’s ultrasound; would it be okay if I copied the ones you gave us?_ ”

“That’s fine,” Suguru answered stiffly, very suspicious over the happiness about his illegitimate son coming from his picky, up to no good aunt.

“ _Great. So…how are things going there, Dai?_ ” His mother asked carefully. “ _How many people are there?_ ”

“Just the three of us. Well, four counting the baby, and five or six counting the ham and turkey Kuroo ate.”

“ _Be nice, Daishou, I’m sure he’s hungry! You should be grateful he’s eating so much; I read that some pregnant omegas in this younger generation are so concerned with how they look they don’t eat properly, and then_ …”

While Sora Suguru went on a long-winded lecture to her son about making sure Kuroo was eating enough, Tetsurou and his father were piling plates into the sink, washing and drying while letting the Christmas air soothe their souls, more snowflakes falling to the ground outside the kitchen window. They were quiet for a few minutes, content to be in each other’s company like they had been doing for the past twenty-one years.

“How’s the baby doing today?” Mori asked, glancing down at his son’s stomach. “Has he moved at all yet?”

“Not that I’ve felt,” Kuroo shrugged. “I thought I felt something when I was sleeping the other night, but by the time I woke up everything was still again.”

“You didn’t move around very much when your mother was pregnant, either; it didn’t really bother her at first, but the further along she got the more anxious it made her when you didn’t squirm around in there. She thought it meant you were ill.”

“Was she really nervous during the whole nine-months?” The omega asked, setting another dish aside.

“Oh yeah,” Mori nodded in confirmation. “She always sang to you and read to you, tried a lot of different things to see if you’d react, but when you didn’t, she would always get emotional and start blaming herself for ridiculous matters…the strange part was that when it finally came time for you to be born, your _mother_ was the calm one and _I_ was the hysterical one.”

“Really?”

“I almost fainted when the placenta—”

“Okay, okay, let’s just stop right there!”

Mori laughed evilly, handing Kuroo another dish to dry as they reflected for a moment.

“I’ve…I’ve started to get anxious, too,” Tetsurou admitted quietly. “Not in front of other people, yet, but like…when I had to stay up late to finish my report before the break, I was really worried about the baby, because I knew his sleeping schedule would be all messed up, and I wondered if he would be able nap with me later on, but then I remembered he hadn’t started kicking yet and I thought maybe something was wrong, and then I got nervous and tried doing stretches to see if he would move, and…”

“Classic overthinking, Tetsurou,” Mori nodded in understanding. “Your mother did that, as well. I think all mothers go through bouts of it, though, so it’s nothing to worry about. You and Daishou-chan have been getting along well enough, haven’t you?”

“Well…yeah, but what’s he got to do with it?”

Mori laughed loudly, shaking his head and nudging Kuroo with his arm playfully.

“Jeez, you are so stubborn! You really are your mother’s son—what I mean is, you’re not doing this on your own, Tetsurou,” He explained wisely. “You should be asking Suguru to scent you at least twice a day, especially when you’re feeling anxious or tired, pride be damned.”

“…I know you’re right,” Kuroo sighed deeply, throwing his drying towel onto the counter. “I’m trying to do better at the whole relationship thing, but it’s really hard to open up like that to _Suguru_ —he was my greatest enemy not long ago, remember.”

“Pft…enemies…just because you were on opposite volleyball teams doesn’t make you fated rivals, Tetsu.”

“It does, actually; cats and snakes could never get along.”

“And yet, you and Daishou-chan are living and raising a child together.”

Mori let the water drain from the sink as his son remained silent, knowing his father was right for the millionth time. He needed to stop asking the Internet so many questions and just go straight to Mori for advice. Suguru would agree, especially after standing in Tetsurou’s old bedroom for ten-minutes listening to his mother rant about who knows what…

“Mom,” Daishou tried interrupting for the tenth time. “Calm down—I never said I was mad at Kuroo for eating, okay? I’m glad he’s eating…yes, I know…he can eat whatever he wants…yes, I made him more fried pickles a few days ago—yeah. Anyway…we might stop by tomorrow night, if Kuroo isn’t too tired when we get home.”

“ _That would be great, Daishou_.”

“No promises, though; we might get snowed in if this weather keeps up. Tell grandma I said hi.”

“ _Alright_ …” Sora agreed slowly. “ _Did you want to wish your father a Merry Christmas before you go?_ ”

“I’m sure he’ll survive without one,” Suguru said, despite mentally telling himself to play nice. “Anyway…I gotta get back. Merry Christmas, Mom.”

“ _Merry Christmas, Dai. Tell Kuroo we said hello_.”

“I will, thanks. Love you.”

“ _Love you, too_.”

Daishou sighed deeply after hanging-up, feeling like a jerk for acting so snobbish on Christmas Eve; nothing could be done about it now, however, so after ignoring Bokuto’s dorky Christmas meme text, the alpha exited the bedroom and began heading back towards the kitchen. As he walked down the hall, however, something caught Suguru’s eye—he hadn’t noticed the little table sitting on the right side of the hallway when he walked past the first time, although Daishou didn’t know how he missed it, because above the table was a large framed picture of a beautiful woman with very familiar jet black hair. Suguru paused for a minute, stopping at the table to investigate—the set-up seemed to be a shrine of sorts, equipped with a few traditional Japanese charms, two pictures, a prayer necklace and the official obituary of Kuroo’s mother. Suguru immediately became somber, eyes narrowing with bitterness as he scanned over the shrine, hating how such beauty and kindness had been ripped away from the family after her untimely death…below the large picture on the wall was a golden name plaque with her name etched onto it, seemingly done by the hands of a child and not a professional:

_KIMMI KUROO_

_MOMMY AND WIFE_

“Tetsurou’s mother,” The voice of Mori said, alerting Suguru to his presence as the other alpha came up on his left side. His expression was even softer than usual as he looked down at the picture of his late wife. “He looks like her, don’t you think?”

“Mm…”

“She passed away when he was very young. Blood disease. Fortunately, Kuroo didn’t inherit the same genes…”

“I see. That’s…That’s too bad.”

 _Never thought I’d say this, but I’m lucky to have Kuroo_ , Suguru thought suddenly, secretly glancing over at Mori after seeing the image of he and his wife together _. I don’t have to be in this alone like Mori did once his wife passed away…I’m very fortunate. Maybe I should tell Kuroo that._

“Well…even if those genes did carry on…I’m sure our son will turn out just fine,” Daishou said quietly.

“Of course,” Mori smiled happily over at him. “You’re in this together, after all—just like Tetsurou and I were.”

Suguru didn’t have time to burst into tears between the scene change, simply letting Mori slap his back playfully and twist the conversation. Why did he have to say “were”? Why did Daishou suddenly feel like he had taken Kuroo away from his precious father by knocking him up? _Selfish idiot!_

“Well, I think Kuroo was heading to bed already, so I guess we should head in, too; we’ll open presents first thing tomorrow morning. Under other circumstances I would make you sleep on the futon, but considering Tetsurou’s already pregnant, I may as well let you two share the bed, huh?”

Mori laughed upon seeing Daishou blush deeply, scurrying off into the living room to turn the fire place off for the night; Suguru got ready for bed in a daze, head spinning as he entered Kuroo’s childhood bedroom, the omega already cuddled in bed wearing his favorite Christmas pajamas. Tetsurou didn’t acknowledge him until the alpha laid into bed next to him, immediately hugging Kuroo into his chest like he had been holding back the entire day. Quiet snow fell outside the window as they remained silent for a moment.

“Um…Suguru?” Kuroo mumbled into the chaebol’s shoulder. “You okay?”

“Your dad’s so nice,” Daishou sniffled, making Tetsurou freeze. “Y-You are, too.”

“Uhh…thanks.”

“I promise I’ll be a good dad,” He continued tearfully, adjusting himself so that his head was now pressed against Kuroo’s swollen tummy. “I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy. I won’t ever leave or take sides against you, and I promise not to make you go to business school if you don’t want to.”

Tetsurou was speechless at first, staring down at the alpha in wonder while tears of his own sprung-up, threatening to fall out; Suguru buried his face against the soft fabric of Kuroo’s pajama top, hands cradling the omega closely. _What’s gotten into him?_ The journalist asked silently, unable to stop himself from hugging Suguru back. _Is he having a mental breakthrough like the Grinch? Did my dad say something to him, or is he just too caught up in the Christmas spirit?_

“I guess you’ll be the chill parent, huh?” Kuroo whispered, trying to get his voice under control. “Always giving him whatever he wants, taking his side when mommy’s being mean?”

“Naturally,” Suguru sniffled. “Snakes and cats are on opposite teams, Kuroo.”

The omega laughed lowly, going silent again as the winter wind outside whipped by the window, the streetlamp outside reflecting off the trophies and medals in Kuroo’s room, allowing Suguru to readjust their position so he was spooning Tetsurou; the other boy allowed him to make the switch, unable to find enough oomf in his attitude to prevent it. Daishou cuddled up to him tightly, warmth spreading between their bodies, but mostly oozing off the wing spiker’s hands where they gently linked around Kuroo’s stomach. Suguru couldn’t remember the last time he held someone so close, couldn’t remember a time he was happier, although Christmas happiness always felt bittersweet for some reason—maybe it was the realization that this was the only Christmas where baby Suguru would be inside Kuroo, or maybe the realization of this being he and Kuroo’s first and last Christmas alone, with just each other…whichever scenario Suguru decided on, it gave him the sudden urge to expose his feelings, to open his mouth and tell Tetsurou how his feelings towards the omega had been gradually changing over the past five-months or so. Kuroo could blame these emotions on Christmas all he wanted, but Daishou was sure they weren’t fabricated by cheer—he loved watching Kdramas with Tetsurou. He loved bickering over who left the toilet seat up, loved trying to figure out what to have for dinner, loved making fried pickles every friggin week and loved looking through baby names with him. He loved the omega’s stupid messy hair, loved when he teased Daishou with tempting offers of sex, loved those hazel cat eyes and his long, pale legs, and he especially loved how good Kuroo looked in Nekoma’s white volleyball uniform.

When Suguru opened his mouth to admit all his faults, he found his voice lost.

“At least we’ll both be there for him, right?” Kuroo said instead, voice echoing through the silence of the bedroom. “Even if it’s not the best option for us down the road…at least we’ll stick together so he can have two parents.”

“…Right.”

There was his chance. The wind stopped, the snowflakes fell gently against the window, there was a pause in conversation—Suguru begged himself to speak, but a sudden fear overwhelmed him, praying for him to not break the peaceful silence between them. He didn’t want to ruin Christmas in Nekoma by revealing his feelings when Kuroo might not feel the same way…he didn’t want this memory to become tainted by his confession…

Daishou opened his mouth again, but nothing came out.

“Merry Christmas, Suguru-chan.”

_Anndddddd it’s gone._

“Yeah,” Daishou sighed, swallowing his pride. “Merry Christmas, Kuroo.”

The wind picked-up again, but Tetsurou aided the situation by reaching above the headboard and turning on a string of Christmas lights his dad had pinned up on their side of the wall; differently colored lights illuminated their space, glowing down on Kuroo’s sleepy expression as Suguru felt an ache in his chest and a sudden urge to kiss those stupid dry lips of the omega’s.

“Can I say goodnight to the baby?” Daishou asked suddenly.

“…Knock yourself out.”

The alpha scooted downwards again, Kuroo turning to lie on his back to get more comfortable as Suguru leaned close, gently speaking to their son like he could hear and understand every word.

“Don’t worry, baby Suguru,” The chaebol said, making Tetsurou snort. “Christmas isn’t always this cold. Next Christmas you’ll be here with us wearing your cute little onesie, and you’ll get to open lots of presents, and your stocking probably won’t be filled with coal.”

“Probably?”

Suguru huffed over a laugh, pushing his tears and pining back by bonding with his unborn son.

“We promise we won’t fail as your parents,” He continued softly, pressing his lips against the rounded portion of Kuroo’s stomach. “Merry Christmas, baby Suguru. We’ll see you soon. Goodnight.”

Tetsurou wasn’t sure whether to laugh or burst into tears. Daishou returned to his original big spoon pose, laying a hand on the omega’s stomach to make sure he was comfortable in their current position; Kuroo didn’t know what to feel about laying with his volleyball enemy in his childhood home on Christmas Eve while being four-months pregnant with Suguru’s child, the chaebol whom he still slept with once in a while despite his claims of hatred, so instead of facing these twisted emotions, Kuroo forwent comfortability and turned on his side so he was face to face with the handsome alpha, rounded stomach pressed against Daishou’s abdomen. He threw his own arm around Suguru’s torso, closing his eyes and whispering one last Christmas wish.

 

Unable to make anything of their pining, they just held each other a little closer and waited for Christmas Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been so cold here the phrase "past the end of this cold winter" has never been more painfully real. one day i will move to asia and be happy! Thanks again for reading, and long live kinky akaashi hehe.  
> Speaking of bokuaka, i posted a new work "Skinny Love" to my bokuaka collection! go check it out for some donuts and homelessness fun. Or something...
> 
> Have a wonderful day~~  
> Love,  
> Bodhi


	5. "i guess we changed"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Late Christmas gifts, pining, breasts and some pretty public smut...

 

_Did you change?_

_(Did you change?)_

_Or did I change?_

_(Did I change?)_

_I hate even this moment that is passing_

_I guess we changed_

_I guess that’s how everything is_

 

_January_

Christmas came and went slowly, and Kuroo enjoyed every bit of it; he was starting to get a good grip on what parenthood was like after hanging with Kiyoko and his dad, even going so far to read the books Suguru insisted he memorize. They still had one more week of break left remaining, so this morning the couple was currently going through all the gifts they received, separating their own from baby Suguru’s and marking down what they could add to their baby shower list; nothing had been planned for sure, yet, but Kuroo’s Christmas spirit carried on to the idea of another party, and so, he started brainstorming on themes for later. Thousands of origami snowflakes were shoved into a Christmas box for next year, along with the rest of their decorations, replaced by a mess of spring themed paper to be folded for when the snow melted away. Suguru still hadn’t visited his parents, nor had he picked-up the presents his mother said they had for them, but in his defense, Kuroo had been feeling more “pregnant” than usual ever since pigging out on Christmas Eve with Mori.

“The baby walker thing was from your dad, right?” Suguru asked, jotting on his piece of paper as mounds of presents surrounded them.

“Yeah; that and the scrapbook.”

“Right—we should start that soon. You know, so the baby thinks we were actually dating when he was conceived…”

“Ew; we’re going to put pictures of _us_ in there?” Tetsurou whined, rubbing his aching feet on the couch beside the alpha. “I think we should just make it about him; who wants a scrapbook full of snakes and cats?”

“We have three other empty scrapbooks for him,” Daishou argued calmly, setting aside his notebook. “This one can be about the journey leading up to his birth; college life, moving, watching K-drama’s, etc. etc. I thought it would be a good idea so we can all look back on these memories fondly.”

“I guess,” Kuroo shrugged. He hoped he wasn’t revealing just how fond these memories were becoming to him. “Do what you want, Dai-chan.”

Suguru, suspicious of the omega’s compliant attitude, glanced over for a full investigation, only to be taken aback once more—Daishou wasn’t sure what to call it, but ever since Kuroo hit the fifth month of pregnancy, he seemed to be more _glowing_ than usual. At first the chaebol thought Tetsurou’s brightened skin was because of Tokyo being a snowy backdrop compared to the omega’s dark hair and usually pinkish skin, but when he felt himself being affected by the image at the dinner table, he suspected otherwise. Kuroo’s skin looked softer, felt softer when Suguru was lucky enough to graze his nose on the other’s jaw area whenever they scented. When walking became too tiring and he plopped down on the couch, instead of looking like a bum college student with nothing to live for Tetsurou looked like a divine Japanese goddess resting underneath a hot sun. His skin had gotten to a point where its surface always seemed to be sweating, but whenever Suguru checked or theorized Kuroo to be feeling ill, it turned out to be nothing. In simple terms, Kuroo was unknowingly turning the alpha on and simultaneously making Daishou appreciate the beauty of pregnancy even more; aka, making Suguru’s crush deepen further than it already had. After the chaebol admired Kuroo for a moment, he asked how the omega was.

“You seem tired today; how are you feeling?”

“Really sore,” Kuroo sighed deeply, leaning his head back on the couch and accidentally exposing his pretty neck. “I read somewhere that the fifth month is supposed to be the easiest—whoever wrote that was a fucking liar. I feel like I’ve already given birth a hundred times.”

“I see. We can sue them for something, I’m sure.”

“Yeah,” The omega brightened up, taking Suguru seriously. “Let’s do that! I think I remember what book it was in; I’ll find it and then we can get an attorney ready, then we’ll sue them for millions and never have to work again!”

“You already don’t work,” Suguru reminded him with a tiny smile. “How about I make you hot chocolate instead?”

“…Fine. But I’m still going to dream.”

“Dream away. Turn on _Goblin_ while you’re at it; I wanna watch a bit before I head to work.”

“No.” Kuroo pouted suddenly, crossing his arms as Daishou headed towards the kitchen.

“…No?” He repeated in confusion. “Since when do you pass up an opportunity to watch _Goblin_?”

“Since I found out you’ve already seen it and don’t have to read the subtitles like I do!”

“So you don’t want to watch with me because I can speak Korean? I thought you said that was hot or something…”

“Well, today it’s more spiteful than sexy,” The omega continued, turning away with a hmpf. Suguru wasn’t sure if what he just witnessed was an angry pregnant episode or just Kuroo being Kuroo, and so said nothing and finished making a cup of hot chocolate. He had work all day, but he frequently checked in with Tetsurou during breaks and made sure Bokuto did the same, just in case something happened to him or the baby; since they were well past the first trimester, a miscarriage was less common but not unheard of, so Suguru wasn’t taking any chances. He refused to let Kuroo lift anything over five-pounds, made sure he didn’t overdose on sugar, made sure he rested his eyes while binge watching or working at his laptop and always left plenty of his shirts on the bed in case Tetsurou needed his scent for comfort. They had greatly improved their scenting relationship, following Mori’s advice of doing so at least twice a day, and both boys noticed their overall relationship had improved as well—it was weird remembering their high school days spent bickering over the net and aiming volleyballs at the other’s head…Kuroo had to wonder if fate had somehow brought them together in a classic tsundere bond, a story that would later be adapted into a famous Japanese drama and make them millions of dollars. If that didn’t work out, there was always using Suguru’s handsome chaebol face for modeling money.

“Where’s my dark grey trench coat at?” Daishou asked himself, not finding it in the mess of coats by the door.

“In your closet,” Kuroo answered, breaking his vow of spiteful silence. “I ironed it the other night because I was bored.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t because you secretly got off on my scent and needed to rid the fabric of the evidence?”

“Shut the hell up and go make some money, scum.”

Suguru snickered to himself, making his way to the hallway closet and finding his fourth favorite coat hung up neatly with a handful of others, neatly ironed so no wrinkles or blemishes remained; he figured Mori had taught his son a few of these skills, having learned them himself after his wife’s untimely death. Daishou always felt bad when he thought about Kimmi Kuroo—here he was, fighting and avoiding his own parents while Kuroo wished he had a mother to argue with and bicker over his messy hairstyle… _maybe it’s time we reconciled_ , Suguru thought, slipping into his coat. _I mean, I’m still pissed and everything, but…Kuroo would kill to have his mother back, and here I am acting like a prick to my own. What kind of only son doesn’t show up for Christmas? Granted, a fight probably would’ve broken out and ruined the entire occasion, but still; I at least should have brought Kuroo over to meet them. Maybe then my dad would see how cool he is._

_Jeez, I didn’t say that out-loud, did I?_

When Daishou went to adjust his right pocket, his hand crumpled an object shoved at the bottom; curious, he pulled out whatever the obstruction was, finding a folded black bag with the unwelcomed _Goodies!_ title printed on the front. The alpha had forgotten when Kuroo tried sneaking through the Christmas presents before Suguru wrapped them, causing him to panic and shove the nearly exposed black bag into his nearest coat pocket—jeez, he hoped Kuroo hadn’t been nosy when he ironed the coat yesterday…Daishou stared down at the offensive bag for a long moment, a strange idea coming around when more images of a glowing omega flooded his mind. If Kuroo were to stumble upon these sexual items while snooping through Suguru’s stuff, that was sure to result in some type of argument or physical altercation (Tetsurou beating the chaebol up using his pregnancy strength that frightened Daishou at times), but…if Suguru were to openly admit that he bought supplies for possible future endeavors between them…maybe he could save himself from getting chewed out and humiliated. While he argued with himself that there was nothing wrong with being prepared, another part of his brain reminded the business major of the nature of he and Kuroo’s relationship: while they may have been living together, preparing to raise a child together and harboring secret developing feelings for one another, they were technically not a couple. It wasn’t normal for them to reach out for sexual favors. Honestly, Suguru wasn’t sure if he could handle anymore casual sex with Kuroo, for fear that these strange feelings of affection for the omega would become so obvious he would be unable to hide them anymore, but if Tetsurou was feeling it, Suguru didn’t think it would be right to deny him when Kuroo was already in such a fragile state of mind, being pregnant and all…

The alpha made up his mind with a deep, preparing sigh, strutted out into the living room, opened the black bag and dumped the contents onto the coffee table in front of Kuroo; the latter stared for a long, questioning moment before glancing up with a cocked eyebrow.

“Uhh…what exactly do you want me to do with this?” He asked hesitantly.

“Nothing. Well, nothing if you _want_ —um…I just—I just wanted to let you know that if you’re ever in the mood, or if being pregnant or whatever puts you in the mood, I’ll be here to help… _alleviate_ those feelings,” Suguru explained awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head as blush overwhelmed his cheeks. “So…I guess I’m offering my body, should you ever need it in the future.”

“No.”

_Well, that was rude._

“…No.” Daishou repeated, trying to hide the sting. _He didn’t have to say it so bluntly…I know I’m not very good at it…_

“No,” Kuroo said again. “I’m denying your rights to sex as well.”

“You’re denying—what, because of the stupid _subtitle_ thing again?!”

“It pisses me off!” The omega shrieked dramatically. “You have all the advantages in the world, so why couldn’t you let me have this one thing?! Do you know how much it hurts not being able to fully grasp the grim reaper’s beauty when I’m too busy scanning subtitles every five seconds?!”

“That’s not my fault,” Suguru argued back, feeling a smile tug at his lips on account of the journalist’s whiney tendencies. It was cute. “Why don’t you learn Korean?”

“Why don’t you learn how to massage my feet so they don’t hurt as badly?”

“I have to leave,” Daishou sighed, turning away and heading towards the door. “I’ll search how to make omegas less whiney and see if foot massages come up, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.”

“ _But I wouldn’t hold your breath_ ,” Kuroo imitated in a nasally voice. “Hey, put your little sex toys away before you go!”

“I got them for you, so you can put them back in the bag, your majesty.”

“Fine, fine—but you can bet your ass you won’t be seeing _my_ ass for a long time, muggle.”

“I’ve survived this long,” Suguru smirked back at him. “All I have to do is wait you out.”

Kuroo’s shocked expression made Daishou laugh, which brought a smile out of the omega himself; lately, Suguru had been letting their arguments turn into more playful banter than actual fights. This was one sign signaling a change in their relationship, their very methods of dancing around each other with teasing grins and petty insults. Daishou suddenly didn’t want to go to work (not that he ever did, really), stopping himself from opening the door as he glanced back at the pretty scene of a pajama wearing Kuroo sitting on the couch as morning sunlight trickled in through the bare windows to his right—he would probably fold origami paper all day long while munching on salty snacks and researching how to teach your baby different languages. It seemed like a peaceful, lazy day, and Daishou desperately wanted to join.

“Let me say goodbye to baby.”

Tetsurou didn’t reply for a second, watching as the alpha walked back across the room and leaned down expectantly near the journalist’s stomach; Kuroo leaned further into the couch and stuck his gut out humorously, although his hazel eyes watched intently as Suguru’s long hands came up to gently lay on both sides of the rounded object. For a moment he said nothing, content to feel the forming baby from the outside, running his palms over Kuroo’s plaid pajama shirt.

“Daddy will be back soon, so don’t you worry about anything,” Daishou cooed softly, lightly patting the roundest part of Tetsurou’s tummy. “Be safe, and don’t make Mommy too sick, okay?”

Heat burned the back of Kuroo’s neck when Suguru’s lips pressed against his stomach.

“I love you already. Bye bye!”

 _I hate this guy. Why does he have to be so fucking cute? How is it possible?_ The omega wondered angrily as Suguru stood-up. _I never knew how attractive dad’s were until this moment. How could I betray my own house by getting pregnant with a pureblood’s child?!_

“…What?” Daishou asked, noticing Kuroo’s judgmental stare. “It’s healthy to talk to your baby while they’re still in the womb.”

“It’s not that…just…that’s the first time I’ve heard myself be referred to as ‘mommy.’ That’s not a kink of yours, is it?”

“Do you _want_ it to be?”

Suguru snickered at Kuroo’s embarrassed reaction, enjoying himself a little too much.

“Have a good day,” Tetsurou said quietly, a hopeful dismissal to this awkward situation.

“I’ll try. See you later; call if you need anything, okay? I’ll bring back some mackerel pike for dinner.”

“My loyal husband, always doing what’s best for his little wifey.”

“Shut up,” Suguru rolled his eyes. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today; I’ll even say goodbye to you.”

“I’m the luckiest guy in the world!”

Kuroo wasn’t expecting Daishou to duck down so suddenly—right as he looked up, the alpha’s face was only inches away from his own, arms going for a hug, but since neither of them turned their heads yet, it was looking more like they were going for a goodbye kiss. Suguru realized his mistake too late, their noses brushing against each other’s and abruptly alerting them to the frantic, suddenly extremely awkward incident, causing Kuroo to flinch and Daishou’s eyes to widen.

“Er—s-sorry,” The chaebol apologized, leaning his head back as his mouth struggled with words.

“Um…yeah. A bit…too close. Haha.”

“I was…just trying to hug you…and maybe scent you one last time…”

“Right,” Tetsurou coughed. “Go ahead. If—If you still want to.”

“Of course I still want to.”

Suguru chided himself for making things even worse and forced himself to just get everything over with, putting his arms around Kuroo’s shoulders while gently sending his scent over the omega’s body; Tetsurou immediately felt the fatigue in his body ease away, giving Daishou a half-hearted hug in return. They didn’t maintain the posture for as long as the omega would have liked, but it was enough for now, Kuroo releasing Suguru so he wouldn’t be late for work.

“See you tonight,” Daishou said with a small, faint smile, walking towards the door once more.

“Yeah…see you, snake-chan.”

A deep sigh escaped Kuroo’s lips after the door finally shut, leaving him alone in their apartment with all his worries and troubling feelings; he ignored them for now, which was relatively easy to do, given how swollen his ankles and every other part of his body was becoming. To start his day off, Tetsurou studied some articles in his journalism book, followed by pregnancy stretches and his daily “chug as much water as I can” challenge. After taking a long nap that stretched well into the late afternoon, Kuroo decided to watch some birthing videos, given how he would be experiencing the incredible “gift of life” in a few month’s time; from Akaashi’s experience, the whole thing sounded incredibly painful, but at least in his case, most of the pain was directed towards one area on his body: his hips. That was apparently the norm for most omegas, male or female, because in the video Kuroo chose the pregnant subject seemed to be screaming on account of the widening of his hips as he pushed during labor.

“ _While every case of pregnancy is different, most omegas experience severe pain while pushing the fetus out. Watch as this male omega enters the final cusp of labor, dilated at ten centimeters_.”

“Ten _centimeters_?” Kuroo repeated in shock, watching in horror as the camera showed a graphic image of the omega’s lower body. “How the hell is an eight-pound baby supposed to fit through a tiny fucking hole like that?”

Although Tetsurou waited for the opening to widen further, apparently that was as far as it would go, because the doctor announced that the baby was crowning; Kuroo flinched when the omega began screaming even louder than before, panting and crying as their lower body convulsed during a violent push—if Kuroo didn’t know any better, he would say they were injuring themselves with the aggressiveness of their push, but he figured that was another joy of labor and forced himself to keep watching.

“ _After the most active part of labor involving a series of strong pushes, the baby will then transition through the opening head first, which is called ‘crowning.’ Only a few more pushes will be needed once the fetus’ head exits the omega’s opening, guided by the hands of nurses and the doctor_.”

“ _AHHHHHH!!!_ ”

“Stop stop _stop_!!!”

Kuroo hurriedly pressed the stop button on his remote, exiting the disturbing film and covering his eyes to try and block the images from infesting his brain; _I knew I should have asked Bokuto to watch these with me_ , the omega thought, forcing the bloody pictures away. _Maybe I should call Akaashi…he would probably just tell me to get over myself and face the fact that I’ll be the one thrashing around on a hospital bed soon enough. Stupid perfect Akaashi. Not everyone can be as cool about childbirth and parenting!_

After mildly recovering from the shock of the childbirth videos, Kuroo decided for a less dramatic topic and switched to breastfeeding videos; while this was just as graphic, Tetsurou didn’t find them as frightening due to less screaming and agony. There was still some agony on the baby’s side during the part where the narrator described the struggle for some children while trying to “latch on,” but that wasn’t nearly as bad as a living object being forced through a body canal that wasn’t large enough for the intrusion…Kuroo knew he shouldn’t have been ragging on natural birth, and he definitely did _not_ want a c-section come spring, but as his first exposure to childbirth it all seemed very overwhelming. Pushing a large creature out of your lower extremities and expecting it to survive that shocking ordeal? Kuroo would honestly rather have kidney stones, because then he wouldn’t have to be in pain while simultaneously worrying about the condition of the stones. How could some people have kids without even realizing how monumentally huge the responsibility was?

 _I guess some people don’t really care_ , Tetsurou realized with a frown, watching as a young woman breastfed her baby quietly. _They can’t even take care of themselves, much less take care and be thoughtful over their baby’s life…_

“ _While there is much scrutiny surrounding public breast feeding, in Japan as well as other countries, many omegas still choose to do so without fear of public backlash,”_ The narrator continued _. “Some omegas feel uncomfortable being so exposed and may choose to cover themselves up with a blanket; no harm comes from pumping milk into a bottle before going out and feeding the baby that way as well, although many mothers prefer the closeness of breastfeeding_.”

“Jeez…there’s so much I have to decide,” Kuroo said to himself thoughtfully, absentmindedly touching his forming breasts over the pajama top. “Breastfeeding, bottle feeding, diaper types…and I only have _four more_ months to go…”

Feeling panic forming in his gut, Tetsurou hurriedly brushed aside the condoms and lube from the coffee table to grab a piece of paper and a pencil; at first, he wrote down what he and Suguru had already decided for the baby so far, but was disappointed to only have three bullet-points for that category:

  1. _Room across the hall from parents_
  2. _Surname Suguru_
  3. _Godparents Bokuto and Akaashi_



“Are you _kidding_ me?!” Kuroo wailed. “That’s all we’ve decided so far?!”

The omega began jotting down a second list of things they had yet to decide, hating himself the longer the list became:

  1. _Breastfeeding?_
  2. _Diaper brand?_
  3. _Sleeping position?_
  4. _Baby food flavors?_
  5. _Which vaccinations?_
  6. _Car seat type?_
  7. _Binky shape?_
  8. _Natural birth???_
  9. _Gender neutral clothing?_
  10. _Baptism invites?_
  11. _Babysitter?_
  12. _Baby nail clipper?!_
  13. _First name?_
  14. _Middle name?_
  15. _Teething toy?_



“I’m such a shitty parent already,” Kuroo groaned, tossing the list across the room and burying his face in a pillow. “I need something to eat. Yeah, that’s it—I’ll go get something to eat, and maybe when I get back my parenting problems will have disappeared without a trace…”

Since it was still the middle of winter, Tetsurou bundled up in his scarf and mittens before venturing out into the snowy Tokyo streets as the sun began setting already, taking his time strolling safely to the bus stop before hopping on and getting off near a chain of grocery stores; thanks to some pregnancy hormones, Kuroo wasn’t cold at all, though he was reminded of what happened last time he visited a grocery store when he stepped inside and all he could smell was alpha. Hopefully if some creep sniffed him out again, one of these bastards would be willing to help and kick ass like the husband in _Train to Busan_. He and Suguru had watched that movie the other day, secretly bawling their eyes out beside each other like kids—though, to be fair, they _were_ kids. It wasn’t a comforting thought, given Kuroo’s already unstable mental position, but he shook off the feeling while grabbing a basket, going in search of whatever baby Suguru wanted to eat for the day. No one judged him as he whispered to his stomach, holding different flavored goodies near it until the baby apparently decided on one, filling the basket with a surprising amount of vegetables, juices and some extra spices for the mackerel they would have for dinner once Suguru came home within the hour.

 _Should’ve grabbed Suguru’s credit card_ , Tetsurou thought as he wandered up to the first check-out lane. _I bought a lot more than I thought I would…_

An obnoxiously happy voice alarmed Kuroo, snapping him out of his rich-boy aesthetic thoughts.

“Kuroo-san! Hey!”

The omega looked towards the cashier, grudgingly having to angle his head upwards as he came face to face with the infamous (but somehow lovable) kouhai Lev Haiba. He was wearing a dorky red polo and that same dorky, excited grin on his lips, but Kuroo couldn’t help but smile back; as much as Lev irritated him during high school, they had actually become good friends over the years.

“Hey, Lev. How’s it going?”

“Great!” The large beta answered with a violent nod. “It’s so good to see you! Wow, you sure like sweet stuff, don’t you? Hey; Yaku-san told me you were _pregnant_ —congratulations!”

Lev didn’t have to hear it from Yaku: Kuroo’s belly was obviously a different type of round versus if he had just gained weight, but he didn’t expect Lev to catch that detail. He obnoxiously began ringing Kuroo’s items up while eagerly watching him with those big green eyes, voice carrying over the entire store as another customer in a fancy business suit and coat came up to wait behind Tetsurou. Kuroo didn’t think the comment about what types of food he chose was necessary, but there was no stopping Lev’s big mouth.

“Wow, you’re pretty far along, aren’t you? I’ve tried these spices before, they’re pretty good on fish; does fish make you sick, or can you still eat it sometimes? Do you like being pregnant, or is it kind of an inconvenience since you can’t play volleyball?”

“Don’t be so _loud_ , Lev,” Kuroo scolded, keeping his voice low. They didn’t need to announce his vulnerability to every alpha in the tristate area…

“Right, right, don’t wanna draw attention to you. But seriously, how are you feeling?!”

“I’m fine, I guess. Just grabbing whatever snacks the baby wants today; and to answer your question, fish made me sick in the beginning, but I can stomach it pretty well, now.”

“You let the baby pick your snacks? Cool!” A frighteningly long pause. “…Sooooo,” Lev began slowly, gathering a predictable question in his mind. “If you don’t mind me asking—”

“I do, actually.”

“—Who’s the father?”

_Damnit. I forgot how stupidly absentminded Lev can be…he doesn’t take hints very well._

“Uhh…it’s, um…a guy I know…”

“Right, right, a guy who goes to business school at your college, Yaku said? What’s his name?”

 _“_ His name? Uhhhh…his name is, um _…Dieshu sgroo_ ,” Kuroo mumbled under his breath, head lowered.

“Hm?” The taller male replied in confusion. “What was that?”

“…… _Daishou Suguru_.”

A package of chocolate Kuroo had chosen dropped from Lev’s hand. He stared in utter disbelief, trying to wrap his head around what his ex-captain just said. The omega felt blush burn at his cheeks as Lev seemed to link two-and-two together, the wheels behind his large green eyes spinning like the tires on Suguru’s Acura.

“S… _Suguru_? From Nohebi?! _That_ guy?!”

“Yes,” Kuroo confirmed in exasperation. “Now will you please ring my stuff up? There’s about to be a line, and this guy’s already waiting.”

“I’m fine,” The businessman said behind him patiently. “No rush.”

“Yeah, you can’t rush a pregnant college student!” Lev piped-up.

Kuroo bit his tongue to keep from reprimanding him again, practically throwing his money over the counter so they could get this over with; Lev still wasn’t done with his questioning, however, and continued while he bagged the groceries.

“You and Suguru-san, huh? For real? So…you two are _dating_?”

“Well…kinda,” Tetsurou rubbed his head. Was this really the place to talk about his developing feelings for the snake? “Believe it or not, he’s really matured since high school. He’s not a _totally_ bad guy.”

For some weird Russian reason, Lev had a big grin on his face when Kuroo looked back at him.

“…What? What the hell is that face for?”

“You loooooove him, don’t you?!” The beta teased.

“S-Shut up! Give me my change back already!”

“Haha!” Lev cheered, handing him a few yen back. “I never would’ve thought after all our intense volleyball matches and all the times you guys whispered profanities at each other through the net you’d end up having a baby together! It’s weird how fate works out, huh, Kuroo-san?”

The giant cashier carefully handed Tetsurou his bag as the business man waiting behind Kuroo stepped up.

“Well, anyway, good for you, Kuroo-san! I’m sure you’ll be a great parent, what with how you were able to handle me during volleyball.”

“…I…really?” The omega accidentally asked, gazing up at Lev with a surprised expression.

“Of course! I’m sure the baby will be a handful, what with you and Suguru’s genes mixing together and all, but if anyone can handle a little snake baby, it’d be you!”

Kuroo couldn’t help but smile at that and silently wondered if he really wasn’t stuck in a K-drama telling a tale of fate; who would’ve thought the clumsy, irresponsible Lev Haiba of all people would be encouraging him as a young parent? Maybe he was secretly a Japanese spirit watching over him, disguised in the form of a tall Russian-Japanese student.

“Thanks, Lev,” Kuroo said sincerely, grabbing his grocery bag. “See you around, alright?”

“Yeah, see you later!” Lev waved.

“Have a nice day,” The business man behind him added quietly.

“…Yeah,” Kuroo bowed slightly. “You too.”

 

As Tetsurou was catching a bus home, quietly reflecting on his day while watching a light snowfall trickle past the window, Suguru arrived home a few minutes early, sighing deeply when he entered the apartment; several terrible phone conversations had made his day a living hell, but he hadn’t forgotten the mackerel for Kuroo, setting it on the island before plopping down on a stool tiredly. _Fucking customer service_ , the alpha thought angrily, trying to get his scent under control before it affected Kuroo, whose presence he had yet to smell. _Why did I pick the worst part time job in the world? Why couldn’t I have picked hard labor or modeling? Why do I have to deal with people on a lower social rank than me? Stupid bums. Maybe they should read a damn book once a while—that should at least raise their IQ enough where they might have a chance at stepping on the social ladder instead of laying on the ground like a bunch of losers. If they’re lucky, they might even get ranked._

Before Suguru could end his internal rant, his phone began buzzing in his coat pocket; fearing the worst, like he always did whenever he thought of he and Kuroo’s unborn son, he frantically pulled out his phone, only to see his father’s name popping up on the screen. Daishou hesitated a moment before opening the text and scanning over its contents:

 **Daisuke Suguru** : _Kuroo seems like a nice young man. You’re lucky     (5:56 p.m.)_

“…Did I miss something?” Suguru mumbled to himself, fingers hovering over the keyboard. “I don’t really wanna give in and text back, but…he did say something nice about Kuroo…”

The chaebol texted back once three-minutes had passed, standing up to pace in the kitchen.

 **Daishou** : _Thanks. And I know.   (5:59 p.m.)_

Suguru hated getting texts from his father because it reminded him how polite Daisuke usually was; he reminded him of Mori in some ways, although their reactions to unplanned pregnancies varied greatly. Another text came through almost immediately.

 **Daisuke Suguru** : _Your mom wants you 2 for dinner Saturday night. U in?     (6:00 p.m.)_

“I’m home,” Kuroo’s voice announced as he entered through the front door. “You here, Suguru?”

“In the kitchen.”

A fatigued looking Tetsurou dragged himself forward, plopping the grocery bag onto the island with a deep exhale.

“You would not believe how fucking _fat_ my ankles are—my poor shoes stretched three inches today!”

“Want to have dinner at my parent’s on Saturday night?” Suguru interrupted randomly. The omega shut his mouth, thinking for a long moment with suspicion in his hazel eyes.

“…Is this a trick question so you can test my loyalty towards you?” Tetsurou asked slowly.

“No. I guess since we didn’t go there for Christmas, we should probably go there now…since it’s past New Year’s and everything.”

If Kuroo didn’t know any better, he would say Suguru missed his family. The college student plopped down beside Daishou at the island, rubbing his unsettled stomach while thinking over the idea of visiting one of the richest families in Tokyo: as feisty as Kuroo could be, he wasn’t really up to defending himself against whatever pureblooded tendencies the Suguru’s held. If Daishou was there to protect him from most of those assaults, dinner _could_ turn out okay…although Kuroo wasn’t looking forward to being surrounded by unattainable wealth for an entire night…

“Alright. As long as there’s food, I’m there.”

The alpha didn’t think Kuroo noticed how he gulped before nodding.

“Okay then.”

 **Daishou** : _sounds good. 7 okay?   (6:05 p.m.)_

 **Daisuke Suguru** : _Perfect. See u then    (6:06 p.m.)_

“So it’s official—the lazy omega you knocked-up will be meeting the highest pureblooded family in all of Tokyo come this Saturday,” Tetsurou announced thoughtfully. “This should be interesting.”

“It’ll be fine,” Suguru told him, though he wasn’t sure himself. “I don’t think my dad will insult you to your face.”

“Wait—has he already done that behind my back?”

“Why do you think you haven’t met them before this point?” The alpha mumbled, getting up to make their dinner. “Don’t worry about it; we’ll leave the second I suspect an ambush.”

“That’s not what I’m most concerned about, dummy,” Kuroo replied, reaching over his gut to rub his aching feet for the hundredth time. “What if they think I’m ugly? What if they don’t like my scent? What if they’re repulsed by my increasing fetish for fried pickles?!”

“ _That’s_ what you’re concerned about?” Suguru asked, secretly admiring how adorable the omega’s worry was. It wasn’t like the cunning captain to show his vulnerability; either the hormones had kicked-in, or Kuroo was starting to open up. “How fucking snobby do you think they are?”

“Well, given how their son is the Slytherin heir who owns an Acura, a wardrobe that costs more than my tuition and Korea’s best facial products fully stocked in our bathroom, I’d say pretty snobby.”

“Tch. _Now_ who’s being stereotypical?”

“I know, I know,” Kuroo waved off, too tired for more arguing. “My feet just hurt _so bad_ —it’s messing with my brain and making me whiney. Maybe I should call Bo and ask if he can get me one of those heating blankets again…”

“Go sit down on the couch,” Suguru ordered. “I’ll massage your feet once I get this started.”

The omega didn’t reply for a second, too stunned to do anything but stare, only making his way over to the couch when Daishou gently nudged him off the stool; Kuroo found himself getting nervous for stupid reasons as he waited, hoping his fuzzy socks didn’t smell and that his swollen, engorged feet wouldn’t scare the alpha off. It wasn’t his fault he was suddenly becoming a human balloon holding another human balloon inside him…well, it was partly his fault, but Daishou was partly to blame, too. He planned on telling the chaebol this, but found his words lost once Suguru slipped his socks off and gently began working his fingers into the tender muscles of Kuroo’s right foot. The way every pain slowly faded away seemed practiced, almost _professional_ in a way—their earlier conversation returned to Tetsurou’s mind.

“Did you seriously read about foot massaging at work, Suguru?”

“I said I would, didn’t I?”

“Actually, you told me not to hold my breath.”

Daishou said nothing, focusing on his task while the fish sizzled in the kitchen, a distant background noise for the current peaceful setting; the warm glow of the muted TV bounced off the chestnut shade of Suguru’s neatly styled hair, and it suddenly seemed like it had been forever since Kuroo looked at the chaebol. He didn’t look like a father quite yet with his youthful skin and lack of bags underneath his eyes (curtesy of expensive Korean eye cream), but the serious glimmer in those narrowed green eyes spoke of secret concerns and worries a responsible college student might possess; Daishou’s eyebrows weren’t as angry looking today, relaxed in a concentrating angle while he worked out knots in Kuroo’s sore feet. His cheeks were still the slightest bit wind burned from being outside, a sweet red hue making him seem more childish—Tetsurou found it adorable, resisting the urge to reach out and stroke the soft surface of Suguru’s skin.

“…Do you think your parents will hate me, though?” Kuroo asked honestly.

“Of course not. They don’t hate anyone.”

“But they won’t approve of me, probably…”

“Why wouldn’t they?” Suguru frowned, glancing upwards. “You’re not _that_ unpleasant.”

“Thanks so much, Suguru.”

“Seriously, Kuroo—don’t worry so much,” The alpha chided, finishing up his massage. “As much as I hate to admit it, they’re both super nice people. You don’t have anything to be concerned about; besides…it’s not like I’m introducing you as my fiancé or anything.”

“…Right.” Tetsurou nodded. He mumbled under his breath after Suguru sat down beside him. “Thank goodness for that…”

“Screw you! What’s so bad about marrying a rich, handsome heir with mad volleyball skills?”

“Pft! That entire sentence was a joke, right?”

For a second, Kuroo thought Daishou was going to sink his fangs into his foot, but after the alpha finished his glaring session, his hands lunged forward and began tickling the omega’s sensitive sides, immediately sending him into a breathless giggling frenzy.

“W-Wait—n- _no_ , Suguru—s- _stop_!”

“Take it back, then!” Daishou insisted, not relenting on his attack, wiggling his fingers over Kuroo’s ribs, now.

“St—Stop!” Tetsurou squealed dramatically, half-heartedly attempting to grab the alpha’s arms. “Enough!”

Apparently it wasn’t enough for Suguru, who upped his performance by slyly sliding a hand to Kuroo’s exposed neck while still torturing his squirming sides; Kuroo didn’t know how much longer his bladder could hold, already vulnerable from the baby sitting atop it 24/7—the sensation of being tickled felt both enjoyable and painful, and the feeling of Suguru cowering over his body triggered a bit of excitement from the journalist, though he was too happy to really act on those emotions.

“Su—Suguru, _no_!”

“Take it back and I’ll stop.”

“F-Fine! I—I—”

Daishou assaulted him even quicker, fingers digging into his sides and neck every few seconds; that shit-eating smile was plastered onto his face permanently while he watched Kuroo gasping for air beneath him.

“I take it back!!!”

Tetsurou’s laughs gave one final squeal before finally fading to soft giggles, Suguru’s hands moving away from the omega’s thrashing body. The strong courses of joy continued surging through Kuroo’s bloodstream, but he was too happy to care much about that agony; he just hoped the baby would be merciful and let him make it to the bathroom before letting five-hours’ worth of pee out.

“You would be happy to be introduced as my fiancé?” Daishou confirmed, still hovering above the omega.

“ _Yes_ , fine, whatever—I’d be happy to be…your fiancé.”

“Was that really so hard? You must be a masochist, wanting to go through all that suffering before openly admitting your love for me.”

“…Shut up,” Kuroo mumbled. He dove his head into the nearest pillow so the other wouldn’t see his blush at the mention of love. “Help me up before I pee all over the couch.”

Suguru chuckled and exited his happy place, standing to help Tetsurou heave himself off the couch. The omega ordered him to finish making dinner while he tidied himself up in the bathroom, saying he had to recover from another grocery store incident and being assaulted with violent tickles; despite Kuroo usually being a laid-back kid like his father, the alpha could sense that there was still a lingering nervous energy around Tetsurou. He figured the emotional whirlwind of pregnancy affected his usual attitude and wanted to put a stop to these insecure feelings once and for all.

“Hey, Kuroo.”

The black-haired boy turned his head, standing halfway through the bathroom entrance.

“…Don’t worry about Saturday,” He advised honestly. “Just be yourself and I’m sure my parents will love you.”

Kuroo couldn’t stop the jerk of affection deep inside his chest that nearly brought tears to his eyes; he gave a simple nod and hurriedly closed the bathroom door behind him, hoping to pee all his conflicting feelings about Suguru out before the chaebol’s parents discovered them and used their strength to keep him trapped inside the yakuza forever.

~~~-~~~

Up until Saturday night, Kuroo Tetsurou did well on the “not worrying” part of their deal; they had another doctor’s appointment Thursday, relieved further by the confirmation that baby Suguru was still just fine, but the second they got into Suguru’s Acura at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday, nicely dressed and ready to go, every bad story about meeting the parents went straight to Tetsurou’s head, effectively transforming him into an anxious, starving pregnant college student.

“What…What if they ask about how early I turn my assignments in?” He worried out-loud, eyes bulging from their sockets. “What if they don’t like the way I feed the baby so much sugar, even though that’s what he wants?!”

“Would you shut up? I can’t drive when your worried scent is flooding the car!”

“Do I really look okay?” Kuroo asked, glancing down at his outfit again. He picked out a simple dark red sweater from Akaashi’s maternity stash, matched with a pair of stretchy black dress pants and an agonizingly tight pair of generic oxford shoes; Suguru said he looked nice, but at this point Tetsurou thought everyone was lying to him: he looked like a bloated, sweaty whale trying to be a sexy, slick looking seal. “I shouldn’t have worn these shoes—they make my ankles look even fatter because they’re tight!”

“I already said you look really nice,” Daishou sighed deeply, rubbing his temple as they pulled into the Nohebi neighborhood. “To be honest, my parents really won’t care what you wear; they’re excited to meet you, an—”

“Yeah, they’re excited _now_ —they won’t be when they find out _I’m_ the one who seduced you and got their precious heir into this mess!”

“Hey, don’t talk about our son that way!”

“I’m _sorrrrryyyyy_ ,” Tetsurou wailed. Suguru had never seen the omega act so dramatic and worked-up before; it was a bit alarming, especially at this time, when they were supposed to be having a family dinner within the hour… “I’m just so nervous! I want them to like me and I don’t even know _why_ —is this how it feels to be a crazy rich Asian?”

Daishou allowed the omega to rant beside him until they pulled into the Suguru driveway, at which point Kuroo went absolutely quiet, hazel eyes peering up at the large (but not as large as he expected), modern styled home they would soon be entering. Even through the dark, it was obvious the house was styled very upscale and in with the trends—the omega felt an instinctual sense of envy surge through his chest, although he knew his modest upbringings made him into a better person than Suguru, or at least the high school version of the snake.

“…This is it?” Kuroo swallowed, hands tightening on his lap. “It’s…really nice…”

“Kuroo.”

_Why am I so nervous? I’m usually not this superficial…what’s wrong with me? Jeez, it’s not because I have a crush on my baby daddy, is it?! If this is love I want no part of it._

“They won’t be offended if I tell them I support public breastfeeding, will they?”

“I’m pretty sure they support it, too,” The chaebol offered. “Kuroo, listen for a seco—”

“But…I don’t want to be all preachy, like I know how to parent already or something,” Tetsurou continued without hearing him, suddenly aware that Suguru’s mother was already standing by the front door waiting for them to exit the car. It should have felt more welcoming than intimidating, but the journalist couldn’t help but feel even _more_ anxious. “It’s not like I’m really that impressi—”

“ _Kuroo_.”

Suguru’s growl wasn’t so much a growl as it was a dominant hiss directed at Tetsurou, who immediately turned to look at the alpha, only for Daishou to already be up in his space, face near his throat while he began heavily scenting the omega. Kuroo’s body relaxed the tight tension wound throughout his muscles, letting the naturally soothing sensation drift over every last of his senses; Daishou’s fingers dared to wrap around the left side of Tetsurou’s throat, warm palm pressing against the hot skin while unintentionally making it seem like they were starting a make-out session right in front of the alpha’s _mother_. That humiliating idea was difficult to focus on, however, what with how the easy-going Kuroo had returned from Suguru’s startling act of coolness—the chaebol continued scenting him until he was sure Tetsurou felt calm enough to function normally, leaning away ever so slightly to check the other’s expression.

“How…How can you be so bold at a time like this?” Kuroo whispered, genuinely in awe as he stared into those dark snake-like eyes through the darkness of the Acura.

“I’m a Slytherin, remember?” Suguru joked quietly. “Are you okay, now?”

Tetsurou could only nod weakly, sparing a glance at Daishou’s mother, who didn’t have the disgusted expressions he expected her to be wearing; maybe she was more understanding than he thought. Or maybe she just knew her dorky son could never get away with trying to make-out with his significant other in front of her. He would earn a slap from two people if that were the case.

“If you need me to scent you or be close to you, just tug on my sleeve or something, alright?” Daishou continued, turning the car off. “…Ready to go?”

The omega nodded again, only helped along by Suguru giving his hand a light squeeze before they exited the car together. If someone would have told high school Kuroo he would be meeting Daishou Suguru’s parents while pregnant with his child during his junior year of college, he would have spit on them and ran away to Korea. But there was no going back now, and Tetsurou spared one last gulp before catching up to Suguru and walking alongside him instead of behind him as they slowly approached the front steps.

“You’re early, Daishou!” Sora Suguru cheered.

“Yet you’re already waiting outside for us,” Her son stated, though he almost had a smile on his lips. “You didn’t have to do that; it’s freezing out here.”

“Tch—that’s exactly what your father said, but he should know by now that I’ll always sacrifice my physical health to be a perfect host.”

Kuroo and Suguru stopped in front of Sora as the two omegas observed each other for a quick second, Tetsurou taking note of which features Daishou inherited from his pretty, chestnut haired mother; thankfully, Sora’s gaze didn’t seem to be predatory or spiteful, never directed at his wide stomach struggling to hide behind his winter coat. She smiled brightly at him, expression welcoming and warm—he was a bit surprised at her height, guessing her to be only a few inches shorter than Suguru himself.

“You must be Kuroo Tetsurou,” Sora confirmed tenderly. “I must say I’m a bit surprised…I didn’t expect Daishou to land someone so tall and dashing!”

“Thanks, Mom. That’s sweet.”

“Well, dashing or not, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Kuroo expected lots of hugs from the pureblooded family, but he didn’t expect them to be so _nice_ , unable to stop himself from wrapping his own arms around Sora as she hugged him tightly, being careful of his swollen tummy. Her scent was a mixture of freshly made dough and something similar to her son’s, maybe a whiff of freshly mowed grass; she reminded Kuroo of Akaashi, what with her elegant fingers, smooth movements and gentle, but lidded features.

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” He forced out as Sora leaned away, hands still lingering over his shoulders. “Um…this is your grandson, by the way. I’m sure he’s happy to finally meet you, as well.”

“Awwwww, he’s even more precious than I imagined!” Sora squealed, eyes glowing as she glanced down at Kuroo’s stomach.

“You mean Kuroo or the baby?” Daishou asked questionably.

“Both, of course! Come, come, let’s hurry inside—it’s only going to get colder out here!”

Kuroo glanced over at Suguru as they followed Sora inside; the alpha gave him a serious thumbs-up and walked in behind him, unaware that the omega was struck dumb at the amazing sight they were met with: he was right to be envious of the house’s exterior, but the inside felt like a different type of bitterness entirely. Fancy. Everything fancy. There were no chips or dents in anything, no faded paint, no mis-matching decorations…everything seemed to fit perfectly with the object next to it, the beginning hallway a bright white with the accented colors of silver and a light stone blue hue; as Kuroo slipped his shoes off, taking note of a new pair of expensive slippers laid out for him next to Suguru’s (their names actually printed on both pairs, the brats…), he glanced over the picture frames scattered over the hallway walls, starting with a wedding picture of Daisuke and Sora, ending with a baby picture of Suguru himself. Kuroo made a mental note to look at those later, too distracted by the splitting of the hallway opening to a large room offering them a few different paths: there was a doorway to the right, presumably leading into a kitchen if the delicious smell was anything to go by. On the left Kuroo could spot the beginning of a spacious family room, sure to be stocked with a large TV and foreign coffee tables, but the most impressive sight had to be straight ahead, revealing a staircase of dreams, white marble clashing with the dark speckled tiles of the flooring, sparkling chandelier above glistening over their group as Tetsurou tried to keep his mouth closed.

“Your house is, um…nice!” He squeaked, eyes bulging.

“A little extravagant on the inside, huh?” Sora chuckled, giving her son an affectionate side hug. “Come! Your father is in the kitchen—we’ll take a tour after dinner. Daishou told us you like spicy food, so we made udon noodles with red chili peppers; does that sound okay?”

“As long as you’re a better cook than Daishou, Sora-san.”

“Yes, I’m afraid Daishou didn’t get my cooking genes,” His mother sighed deeply as her son scowled. “He is better than his father, at least.”

“This dinner better not turn into an ‘insult Daishou’ session.”

“If it does, I call dibs on going first,” Kuroo joked, getting a laugh from Sora.

“Speaking of dinner, we better go make sure your father didn’t let anything burn while I was away.”

Suguru walked beside Tetsurou calmly, hand briefly touching his waist as they turned right and entered the kitchen, where the warm scent of spicy noodles almost made the omega’s stomach growl at an obnoxious noise level. The idea of food was thrown out the window for a second when Kuroo turned his attention to Suguru’s father, having to do a double-take upon spotting that familiar face, heart dropping when he connected the image to the scene from the other day when he visited Lev at the grocery store, a fancy businessman standing behind them patiently while listening to them talk about his snobbish only son…Tetsurou’s appetite went away almost immediately as his mouth fell open, cheeks blushing when he made eye contact with the business owner for the first time. He suddenly felt like a very unfortunate, crappy person.

_You’ve got to be shitting me._

“Look who made it,” Daisuke smiled kindly as the trio entered, standing up to greet them. He was probably the best dressed out of all, wearing a nice grey dress shirt and tie, perfectly pressed black pants somehow going well with his own initialized slippers. Kuroo felt Suguru’s hand touch his lower back again, as if he could feel the omega’s embarrassment—or maybe he was just waiting for his father to start spitting insults. “You’re the famous Kuroo Tetsurou, hm? I remember you from Daishou’s volleyball days.”

“Yes,” Kuroo managed a pained smile, quickly bowing as much as the baby would allow. _I didn’t say anything terribly mean about Suguru that day, did I?!_ “It’s nice to officially meet you, Suguru-san.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” The businessman bowed. For a second, Kuroo thought the older alpha forgot or didn’t recognize him from the grocery incident, but then a quick wink was sent his way, confirming that Daisuke did, in fact, remember their first meeting very well. Tetsurou smiled awkwardly, trying to hide his face by pretending he had an itch on his eyebrow.

“Daisuke, isn’t he so handsome?” Sora said excitedly, grabbing onto her husband’s arm. “Surely their son will be baby model material, so long as he gets Kuroo’s extra few inches.”

“Messy hair does _not_ count towards height,” Daishou murmured, getting a smack on the arm from his mother.

“Don’t be envious, Daishou, it’s not a good look on you.”

“You two sit down,” Daisuke suggested while motioning to the chairs. “We’ll finish making dinner; well, I guess I won’t, because my wife won’t let me use the oven…”

“Why don’t you get the drinks ready, dear? I’m sure you can handle that much.”

“Ouch,” Her husband commented, none of the less opening a nearby cabinet to grab a few glasses. “What is that the kids say these days… _roasted_?”

“Oh god,” Suguru groaned lowly beside Kuroo, who snickered to himself. He loved when adults like Mori and Daisuke tried using teenage slur.

“Tetsurou-kun, do those slippers fit okay?” Sora asked in concern, taking note of how her son helped Kuroo into his chair. The younger omega was just as surprised as her. “Daishou didn’t know what size you wore, so I took a guess and tried to find the most comfortable ones available.”

“Oh yeah, they’re perfect. You really didn’t have to buy me any, though…”

“Nonsense, nonsense!”

“Mom likes to repeat words for emphasis,” Suguru whispered to Kuroo, taking a seat next to him at the island.

“All done, all done!” Sora cheered on cue. “Who’s ready for udon?”

Tetsurou hardly had any more time to feel nervous, happily overwhelmed by the succulent scents oozing off the table as Sora brought over their meal, including udon noodles, meat buns, white rice, onion soup and a mix of vegetables Suguru avoided immediately. Kuroo was surprised at the lack of painfully awkward wait time usually spent sitting in silence until someone forced conversation; they went straight into eating first, which pleased the hungry omega, because baby Suguru had been making a lot of noise all afternoon and was ready to pig out.

“I hope the udon isn’t too spicy,” Sora worried out-loud after taking her seat next to Daisuke across from the boys. “We don’t want to upset the baby!”

“He actually loves spicy foods, so it should be okay,” Kuroo said absentmindedly, staring at the table in awe.

“Everything looks great, Mom,” Suguru complimented. “You really didn’t have to go through so much trouble, though.”

“How can you say that?!”

“Getting your mother riled-up already, Dai?” Suguru Sr. raised an eyebrow. “That’s risky.”

“It’s my duty as a mother and a grandmother to provide delicious nutrients to everyone,” Sora began preaching as everyone dug in. “If I can’t make food or buy the right slippers, I may as well be disowned from the family.”

“That’s a little harsh, dear.”

“How can you say that?!”

Kuroo was starting to see where Suguru got his fighting spirit from; while Sora always had a sense of quietness around her, when she got started on a subject she really went all out. The conversation died out once everyone settled in, eating away at the delicious udon noodles and meat buns, Kuroo restricting himself to three for the night; Suguru was having none of that, however, insisting the omega eat as much as he wanted until both he and their son were full. For most of the meal, Sora and Daisuke were content to watch their son interact with Tetsurou, intrigued by his sense of duty and watchfulness. Suguru himself, however, was suspicious at the lack of questions on their part—he waited a solid twenty-minutes before forcing the conversation to arise, much to Kuroo’s agony, as he was just starting to feel the burn from the udon noodles.

“So…” Suguru began awkwardly, playing with his food. “When will the hurricane of questions begin?”

“We aren’t going to interrogate the poor boy, Daishou,” Sora said in their defense. “If he wants to tell us something he may speak whenever.”

Kuroo felt relief for only a second before his leg was kicked under the table by Daishou’s, the chaebol sending him a meaningful stare that silently forced him to begin speaking. The omega reluctantly cleared his throat, wishing he could just stuff his face like an animal and not socialize...baby Suguru turned him into a lazy introvert. _What do I talk about?_ Tetsurou wondered frantically. _I’m not a very interesting person; maybe I should lie and talk from Bokuto’s point of view. That outa get them interested in me. Maybe if I mention some of their son’s kinks I can switch the conversation around on them…_

“Uh, well…I’m studying journalism at the same university as Suguru,” Kuroo began slowly. “I turned twenty-one in November, and…I have some babysitting experience.”

To Tetsurou’s surprise, that got a big laugh out of everyone, although Daishou seemed to be trying not to smile for some weird reason—probably because he was sitting right across from his father, who apparently he was still not on the best terms with. Laughter always encouraged Kuroo, however, so he let this noise feed his pride as Sora began asking questions.

“Since we’re on the subject of babies, why don’t you tell us about your family, Tetsurou-kun? Daishou’s only mentioned your father a few times in passing—you two went there for Christmas, didn’t you?”

“Mhm; we’ve lived in Nekoma ever since I was born.”

“I remember his name, but I don’t think I caught your mother’s name; Mori and…?”

“Ah…actually…”

“It’s just Mori and him,” Suguru interjected, keeping his eyes on the table, like it was painful for _him_ to talk about. On a certain level, it was—the idea of Kuroo no longer having a mother to turn to had really got him thinking about the fight with his father.

“ _Oh_ ,” Sora lowered her voice. “I see.”

“Mom had a blood disease and died when I was six,” Tetsurou explained shortly.

“Really,” Daisuke commented quietly. “That’s too bad…it must have been hard on you and your father. What does he do for a living?”

“He’s been a mechanic for the past twenty-years—in other words, I’ll have a crap ton of loans to pay off after graduation next year, since most of my cash will go to baby Suguru, now.” Kuroo laughed lightly.

The rest of the table chuckled quietly at that comment, going silent in reflection for a moment; Suguru had been awfully aloof for most of the night so far, choosing to pick at his food rather than engage in conversation. Tetsurou noticed but was too focused on sounding cool and presentable in front of his parents to check and see if the alpha was choking or something.

“So the baby will have Daishou’s last name?” Sora inquired curiously. “You didn’t force that on him, did you, Dai?”

“It was my choice, actually; Suguru’s letting me pick the first and middle name since the baby will have his surname.”

“Ah, I see…”

“Have you thought of any names, yet?” Daisuke asked.

“I have a few options,” Kuroo nodded with a small smile. “But I’m having trouble deciding since the baby hasn’t really shown me any of his personality, yet.”

“He’s only moved a couple of times, both when Kuroo’s been sleeping,” Suguru finally spoke up.

“So he’s not a very active baby, then?”

“Not really; although, my dad said that’s how I was when I was a baby, too.”

“You’re already five months along, aren’t you?” Daisuke confirmed, daring to look at Suguru for a reply. “That’s usually about the time they start kicking and squirming around, I’ve heard.”

“I can’t believe it’s already half over,” The black-haired omega said to himself. “It seems like just yesterday we found out about him…”

“Yeah,” Daishou hummed beside him. They looked over at each other, gazing in remembrance as the images of a worried Kuroo walking across the campus yard flooded through Suguru’s head. “…Time’s really flown by, huh?”

Sora and her husband shared a look, the former hiding her smile behind a mouthful of udon as they all finished their meal quietly, content to silently reflect on their night thus far. Kuroo was just glad he and Suguru weren’t actually dating, because then he would have had to worry about being fondled underneath the table, although that might as well have been the case since Daishou insisted on his knee being only an inch away from the omega’s. _Maybe things would be better if we were dating, though_ , Kuroo thought randomly, finishing up his noodles. _Maybe Suguru wouldn’t have fought with his father, then, and maybe our son would have a better future if there was a possibility of a serious relationship between us._

_But…doesn’t the possibility already exist?_

“Well…I hope you two aren’t wishing the time away,” Daisuke smiled, sipping on a glass of sake. “Before you know it you’ll be up to your arms in diapers and paperwork, wishing you could go back to nine-months of expecting.”

“Suguru’s been secretly working on the scrapbook of my pregnancy,” Tetsurou informed them proudly, grinning over at the other college student. “Judging on how many scraps and stickers I find lying on the floor, I’d say he’s pretty much got every day documented for us to look back on.”

“Look at you, Dai, being so responsible!” His mother cheered, making him blush deeply and glare at Kuroo. “Oh, I almost forgot—after dinner you two need to open the Christmas presents we got you!”

“Presents?” Tetsurou perked up. “Dinner _and_ presents? Suguru, why didn’t we come over here sooner?”

“We’ll just throw the dishes aside for now; Suke, will you help me put the rest of this food in containers? Daishou, you go ahead and give Kuroo a quick tour of the house; we’ll meet you in the living room where the presents are, okay?”

“Alright, alright.”

The omega quickly chugged the rest of his water in an attempt to ease the heartburn sure to come later on, scurrying out of the kitchen to follow Suguru for a tour; it wasn’t much of a riveting experience, given Daishou’s bored, slightly irritated voice, but Kuroo was greatly entertained by the lavish accents of their home. There had to be over thirty rooms in the entire house, mostly empty offices, spare bedrooms and miscellaneous rooms of requirement for the rich—Suguru didn’t seem to notice Tetsurou’s awe, loosely commenting on boring details here and there while the journalist took notes on what a chaebol’s life was really like.

“That’s my bathroom and two closets, both connected to my bedroom and the homework office,” Suguru pointed towards a green door labeled with his name. “And that’s pretty much it. The rest of the rooms are empty, I think.”

“Very impressive, Daishou-chan,” Kuroo hummed, running a finger along a fancy granite table in the hallway. “I’m happy to be marrying into such a rich family!”

“Shut up,” The alpha grumbled, nudging his arm. “We’re not engaged. I thought we agreed to not be that couple who gives in to what everyone tells us to do?”

“I can dream, can’t I?”

Suguru sighed for the tenth time, though he looked pretty amused at the omega’s glee over seeing such a fancy lifestyle. They stood in the hall for a moment or two, content at the hushed setting while mentally going through their family dinner, analyzing each conversation for hidden meaning. Kuroo interrupted by saying he had to go to the bathroom, telling the chaebol he could find his own way back—Daishou fell for the act, naturally, leaving Tetsurou alone and descending the staircase gracefully, though the omega would never admit to watching the pretty sight. The second he knew Suguru was out of earshot, Kuroo dashed not to the bathroom, but straight towards the door labeled _Daishou’s Room_ with the green door. No way would he let an opportunity like this pass by!

Tetsurou snickered as he slipped inside, greeted with the disgusting sight of Nohebi flags and articles scattered everywhere, on every wall and every corner.

“Tch. I guess I should have seen this coming…he really needs to redecorate in here.”

The journalist took in the neat little sight that was Daishou’s childhood bedroom, equipped with a fancy bed, dark green walls, dark carpet and three different exits leading to the bathroom, large closet and study room, respectfully. Honestly, it looked more like a trophy room than a bedroom—every volleyball award Suguru had ever won had been carefully preserved on shelves, glass cases and hung-up on each wall; the left wall was entirely decorated in pictures of Daishou playing volleyball, all the way from his elementary days to his third year at Nohebi Academy. Kuroo grinned when he saw the dorky greased hairstyle the alpha used to wear, bangs nearly covering his eyes as he received a ball during a middle school game. Along with the volleyball awards were a few scattered academic awards, because Suguru was good at everything, apparently. Tetsurou was just as obsessed with volleyball as Daishou, but this almost felt a little narcissistic. Then again, that described the old Suguru perfectly, so the current style of the bedroom made sense.

Kuroo admired the photos for a while before accidentally bumping his stomach into a nearby table—as it turns out, this was one of his best finds of the night. Sitting on the dresser in plain sight was a series of _diaries_ Suguru kept throughout the years.

“No fucking way!” Kuroo squealed quietly, immediately snatching the first journal labelled _Year Eleven_. “He keeps these in plain sight?!”

Giggling to himself already, the omega opened the diary up and scanned over a random page, styled with various Harry Potter scribbles and badly proportioned volleyball shoes.

**_September 3 rd_ **

_Dear diary,_

_I’ve decided I want to get married after I turn thirty and inherit the family company. That way I will have money for lots of haircuts and shoes. I will have a small wedding in a garden that looks like a Pokémon place, and once we’re married for a while, we will give birth to twelve children whose names will be chosen according to their Zodiac signs, because my horoscopes are always right, and I always want them to be right. I don’t care what gender or if they’re alphas, omegas or betas, because what matters is that they are happy and have nice hair. My omega will have pretty hair, too, so our seven kids will have pretty hair as well._

_This is what I decided during science class today._

_Sincerely,_

_Daishou Suguru_

 

“Pffft!” Tetsurou sputtered, holding a hand over his mouth to hide the laughs that desperately wanted out. “That is too cute! Baby Sugs, you better have good hair or else…”

“Kuroo?” A distant voice said in the hallway, causing Kuroo to drop the journal and hurriedly duck into the connected bathroom. “Everything okay in there?”

“Oh yeah!” The omega replied, stifling his giggles as he pretended to pee. “Almost done!”

_We will give birth to twelve children whose names will be chosen according to their Zodiac signs—_

“…Why are you laughing?” Suguru asked through the door. “Are you losing it again?”

_Because what matters is that they are happy and have nice hair._

“What do you mean ‘again’?” Kuroo questioned with a smile, opening the bathroom door to face Daishou.

“…Why are you smiling?” The chaebol asked, eyebrows raised as the taller boy began heading downstairs.

“Why can’t I smile? I’m allowed to smile in the presence of my baby daddy.”

“Well, you usually don’t, so…”

“Nonsense! Let’s go open presents, now, hm?”

Daishou caught up to Kuroo on the staircase, standing close in case the omega lost his balance. Tetsurou remained suspiciously quiet for a minute before ever so casually bringing the subject of baby Suguru up.

“So,” The journalist began. “What color hair do you think the baby will have?”

“I don’t know. Maybe black, like yours; what color do you think he’ll have?”

“Hmm…I wouldn’t mind either way, so long as they’re happy.”

Kuroo wanted to laugh even harder at the confused expression on Suguru’s face, obviously not remembering his diary entry from when he was eleven years old.

“Don’t start being weird, now, Kuroo,” The chaebol threatened. “You’re doing well, so don’t go all hormonal when we open presents, okay?”

“Don’t worry!” Tetsurou cackled. “My horoscope said I’ll be nothing but sweet and fertile this month!”

Suguru was greatly concerned for the outcome of the evening when they sat down to open their late Christmas presents; he felt more on edge than before, anxiously watching Kuroo’s every reaction in case he became triggered by something and flipped the coffee table over or something. The omega seemed normal enough, now, crossing his arms as he sat next to Daishou on the couch while Daisuke gathered their presents.

“I can’t believe you deprived me of more Christmas presents, Suguru,” Kuroo teased him, pretending to pout. “You know how much I love Christmas!”

“Sorry,” The alpha shrugged, leaning back into the couch. “I just thought you’d like a random touch of the Christmas spirit by delaying some presents by a month.”

“Yeah right—you just didn’t want to see your dad because you guys were being difficult,” The other whispered. “I’m considering this strike two, so don’t get a third.”

“What was strike one?”

Tetsurou cackled and pointed at his bulging stomach, which seemed to have gotten even bigger due to the large meal the omega had consumed; Suguru hid his blush poorly, trying to distract from the sight by letting Kuroo open his present first, quietly admiring while the journalist tore off the wrapping paper. Sora and Daisuke sat down on the opposite couch, watching with anxious anticipation.

“Wooaaaahhhh,” Kuroo exclaimed, exposing his first present. “Is this what I think it is?”

“Only the finest lotions and soaps every pregnant omega needs!” Sora nodded happily, watching the younger omega investigate the box set. “I received one of those boxes when I was pregnant with Daishou, although I admit they’ve definitely improved since then.”

“This is actually perfectly timed, because Suguru just found out I’ve been using his special lotions and totally blew-up on me.”

“I did not!”

“Did so! He even hid them from me so I couldn’t find them again!”

“He’s very protective of his Korean beauty products,” Sora giggled. “But now you have your own that only omegas can use.”

“You hear that, Daishou-chan?” Kuroo teased. “Only _omegas_ can use these ones.”

“Fine by me.”

“There’s one more gift in that one,” Daisuke pointed out.

Tetsurou reached into the bottom of the box, pulling a rectangular jewelry case up, a sight that immediately made his heart thump. Suguru seemed nervous as well, though he was more concerned that this gift would be better than any of the ones he got Kuroo for Christmas. The omega slowed his opening pace nervously, carefully pulling the red ribbon off before popping open the velvet box, revealing a beautiful rose gold necklace with two rings at the end, one slightly bigger than the other.

“…Wow,” Kuroo said quietly, running a finger over the smooth, cold surface of the rings. “This is beautiful.”

“Sora picked it out,” Daisuke informed them. “I believe it’s a symbol of a baby’s bond with their mother.”

“It suits you,” Suguru interjected, leaning forward to admire the rose gold color glimmering off Kuroo’s skin as he continued running a fingertip across the necklace. “Rose gold goes well with your skin tone.”

“N-Not really…”

“Oh, don’t be so modest, Tetsurou,” Sora smiled warmly. “Daishou, put it on him, I want to see!”

Kuroo and Suguru exchanged a long look before the omega swallowed again, slowly handing the shorter male the black box; Daishou ignored how his fingers trembled, slipping the necklace out of its protective casing and unhooking it. Tetsurou turned his head the other way so the chaebol could smoothly lock the chain around his neck, situating the pretty article so it laid perfectly above Kuroo’s sweater collar—while the coloring clashed with Kuroo’s chosen outfit, it certainly did make his skin tone glow even more than usual, shining around him like a priceless halo, as if the necklace were made for him. Daishou’s fingertips accidentally grazed over the back of Tetsurou’s neck, sending a shiver through the latter’s body as he felt all eyes go to him.

“See?” Suguru said lowly, eyes trained on the rose gold chain glimmering around the journalist’s neck. Kuroo hung onto his every word, tracing over the matching rings with his own fingers. “…Rose suits you.”

“It’s even prettier on you, Tetsurou,” Sora added, breaking the duo from their little daydream.

“I’m not much for fashion outside of suits, but I have to agree with my wife.”

“…Thanks,” Kuroo nodded, shaking himself out of the weird funk he had entered. “I don’t even want to know how much this cost…”

“What matters is that you like it, Tetsurou-kun,” Daisuke argued. “I know the gift of a child is way better than any jewel or gemstone, but Sora thought this would be a nice reminder of the bond you and baby Suguru had even before his birth.”

“It’s perfect. Thank you, really.”

“Can I open mine now?” Daishou asked, making his mother’s eyes sharpen.

“You sound like a child, Daishou.”

“Wha—I was just asking if I could open my Christmas present, Mom!”

“Don’t interrupt Tetsurou’s moment!”

“I hope you got coal,” Kuroo mumbled at him under his breath.

Unfortunately, Suguru didn’t get coal, instead a Subway gift card, more parenting books and a video on how to be a good alpha or some shit; Kuroo was more preoccupied with his own gifts, intrigued by the beauty products and enchanted by the rose gold rings laying on his throat. It was strange to think they would never have another cold January with just the two of them—by this time next year, Bokuto would be engaged to Akaashi (probably), Kuroo and Suguru would be in their final year of college all while taking care of their precious baby son…they would no longer be visiting the grandparents’ house emptyhanded, would probably gain lots of weight due to the ease of take-out and drive through’s…despite these lingering, somewhat daunting thoughts, every time Kuroo peered down at his necklace, all he could think about was a little boy with nicely combed hair, dark eyes and a toothy smile. The rest of the night passed like this until it became late, Suguru insisting they get home so they both wouldn’t be crabby in the morning; after packing up their Christmas presents and collecting the food Sora sent home with them, Kuroo and Daishou said their goodbyes.

“Dinner was delicious, Sora-san,” Kuroo bowed as they stood in the entryway. “Thank you for having us.”

“No need to thank me, Tetsurou—you’re welcome anytime.”

Sora hugged the younger omega for a long moment, a rush of her soothing scent flooding Kuroo’s nostrils.

“If you need anything at all, feel free to drop by or call, okay, dear?” She said quietly.

“I will—thanks.”

Daishou stepped up to hug his mother after they separated, sparing her a kind smile as she wrapped her arms around him sweetly. Every chaebol Kuroo knew was a huge mama’s boy.

“Thanks for dinner, Mom. We had fun.”

“Anything for you, sweetheart.”

 _Sweetheart. That’s a laugh_ , Kuroo almost mumbled out-loud. He accidentally made eye contact with Daisuke, who surprisingly came over to hug the omega warmly, startling Tetsurou with the kind act. Suguru must have been very prejudice with his father, because Kuroo had found him nothing but pleasant throughout the entire evening while knowing about Daisuke’s original reaction to their little accident.

“Nice to see you, Tetsurou,” The older alpha said honestly. “I hope we can do this more in the future. Don’t be afraid to drop by my office if you need anything, alright?”

“Ah—thank you, Suguru-san. It was nice to finally meet you.”

Daisuke smiled happily at him as they separated; Kuroo half expected Suguru to storm out without another word, but to everyone’s surprise, he gave his father a quick hug and a few choice words while balancing their bundle of presents and food in one arm.

“See you later, Dad.”

“Yeah—see you, Dai.”

Sora smiled at her boys, opening the front door when they were finally ready to head home; the cold winter air was sharp against their flushed cheeks, but Suguru made sure to shield Kuroo while they stepped out.

“Drive safely,” Daisuke warned.

“Come back soon!”

“Bye! Thanks for the food!” Kuroo waved.

Suguru piled all their goodies and presents into the back seat of the Acura, ensuring that they were both buckled-up and that Tetsurou’s seat was moved back enough so he wouldn’t be injured by the airbag should there be an accident. Sora waved at them one final time before they emerged into the darkness, driving off towards the other side of Tokyo as a light snowfall fell from the sky.

“…I think it went well!” Tetsurou began with positivity, playing with the rings on his necklace. “Your mom’s a badass cook, and I know you were fighting with him or whatever, but I think your dad’s pretty chill, too.”

“Yeah,” Suguru sighed deeply, turning onto a deserted interstate. “He’s not so bad.”

“There’s something I’ve been wondering, though,” Kuroo thought out-loud.

“What is it?”

“Your dad is the CEO of Japan’s largest accounting firm. You grew up in a mansion with slippers to match your Nohebi theme. So why didn’t you just ask your dad to pay our baby expenses for the next nine months?”

“Because I want to be dependent from him,” Suguru snapped back immediately, not noticing the bait thrown his way. “I don’t want to depend on him in case he starts being a jerk again. I guess that’s what he wanted anyway, since now we’re fighting and I’m forcing myself to work as a stupid receptionist for some extra cash, but I’m still marking it down as a win for me because I’m the one who got myself that job without using his references. Why would I want to owe him anything and drag our son into this mess of a family as well? It only makes sense for me to break away fr—”

Daishou was further infuriated when he glanced over and saw Kuroo grinning at him happily, like some college idiot drunk off his ass.

“…Why the hell are you smirking at me?” The chaebol spat in irritation.

“That’s just what I wanted to hear, Dai-chan.”

It took Suguru a second to put everything together, darkening his scowl but accidentally letting a quick smile sneak to his lips as the omega chuckled beside him.

“But seriously, I was so proud when you gave him a hug!” Tetsurou added positively. “Character development is usually something I only see in K-dramas, but you’ve proven me wrong for the first time, Suguru.”

“Tch. For the hundredth time, you mean.”

Kuroo allowed that joke to slip and chuckled under his breath, unable to stop admiring the pretty chain resting at the bottom of his neck; it almost felt like Christmas Eve all over again, what with the quiet music on the radio playing behind a sheet of gentle snow, unwrapped presents in the backseat while Suguru drove them home in a thoughtful mood…upon realizing Christmas hadn’t come again, Tetsurou was momentarily depressed and glanced over at the alpha for a distraction. Although it was difficult to read his expression in the dark, Kuroo felt sure he was thinking about his family and hoped those thoughts led to forgiveness.

“Suguru.”

The chaebol glanced over briefly, otherwise keeping his green eyes locked on the road in front of them.

“…I really don’t want you to fight with your father anymore,” Kuroo said quietly, but in a bold tone. “You can argue that it’s none of my business, but since they love me so much I’d say I’m pretty much part of the family, now—as an honorable member of the chaebol family, I’m ordering you to man-up and stop fighting with him. What happened in the past isn’t relevant to baby Suguru’s future, so I think we should just forget everything and start over. Okay?”

When the argument or snappy comment never came, the omega turned completely in his seat to stare a hole through Daishou’s head, shocked when all he received in response was a simple nod.

“…That’s _it_? Not even gunna argue?”

A shake of a head.

“Huh. I gotta say, I like this compliant side of you, Daishou. We should use that in bed next time w—”

This time Suguru’s hand darted out to turn the radio volume up loud enough to block Kuroo out, making the journalist laugh loudly; Kuroo actually knew the song that was playing (since Daishou stopped hiding his K-pop CD’s), so he hummed along to the slow tune as they drove home. _It’ll be nice to have grandparents so close once baby Suguru is born_ , the omega thought to himself, watching blurry snow scenes fly by. _Of course, we’ll spend long weekends at my dad’s, but just in case something comes up, it would be nice to have a good relationship with Suguru’s parents in case Bokuto can’t babysit. I’m sure they’ll be fighting over those rights in no time. One thing’s for sure, that kid is definitely not going to be begging for attention…unless he takes after Daishou. That could be bad, but we can probably even his personality out by hanging out wi—_

A warm object engulfed Kuroo’s cold hand suddenly, dreamily pulling him from his thoughts as he glanced over, trailing up to find Suguru’s hand adjusting the omega’s so that they were laced together and resting on the dashboard between them. The heaters blasting at every direction were hot, but not nearly as hot as Daishou’s skin, which was odd considering his reptile status. Even when Kuroo stared at the other boy in surprise, Suguru didn’t look over. It only seemed instinctual to the chaebol that whenever he felt a striking surge of affection for Tetsurou, he should do one of three things: hold the idiot’s hand, hug the idiot or _kiss_ the idiot. Since it would be a danger to all of them for him to attempt numbers two and three, Daishou settled with hand holding, never commenting or explaining himself the entire ride home.

Kuroo stayed equally as quiet, but gave the alpha’s hand a squeeze and hid his smile in the darkness.

 

_January 8 th_

With the winter break over, Tetsurou and Suguru found themselves thrown back into the world of stressful studying and attending lectures every week; Akaashi and Kiyoko were enjoying living with the vivacious Bokuto, Kiyoko happy to live closer to her preschool and Akaashi enjoying the shorter bus ride to his work place. So far there had been no signs that he knew of Bokuto hiding an engagement ring somewhere in their apartment (the alpha told Kuroo the exact location in case he forgot), and admittedly, Koutarou had been rather good at keeping his excitement quiet. Both Sora Suguru and Akaashi made Kuroo boatloads of New Year’s food specifically designed for pregnant omegas, which kept he and baby Suguru fed for a solid week—in the cusp of his pregnancy weight gain, Tetsurou had been eating a lot of noodles and ice cream lately, only realizing just how different (fat) he looked when he and Kiyoko took a selfie together. Suguru argued that the picture was taken from a lower angle and thus, added a few inches to Kuroo’s face, but the omega would hear none of it, spending an entire Saturday laying in bed poking at the flab on his cheeks. His nerves were further damaged by a doctor’s appointment on the 8th, which he was already anxious about given how the pregnancy was already half-way over; both soon to be parents were concerned about their son’s progress and eagerly waited in their assigned room for the nurse to enter.

“What if I’ve gained too much weight?” Kuroo worried out-loud as he laid on the ultrasound table, mindlessly rubbing his swollen stomach. “What if I give the baby diabetes because I’m eating too much ice cream?”

“It’ll be fine,” Suguru said, though his gulp after the fact killed that promise. “I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with a little ice cream here and there…”

_Knock knock_

“Good afternoon, Suguru and Kuroo-san!” Nurse Yuri greeted brightly. “Are you feeling okay today, Kuroo?”

“If feeling like an obese manatee is okay, then yes.”

“Haha! You’ve entered that stage of pregnancy, huh? Well, why don’t we pull your shirt up and get this ultrasound done; I have a feeling we’ll get to see him in a new position today.”

“Let’s hope so,” Tetsurou sighed. “I haven’t felt him move at all, yet.”

“I hope that means he won’t be a fussy, needy baby like you,” Suguru snickered on the side.

“You shut up. And look the other way, would you? I don’t want you seeing my alien-like stomach.”

“He can hear you, you know.”

“Just like he can hear your snoring at night.”

“You two are so funny!” The nurse giggled, helping Kuroo slide his shirt up as Suguru obeyed the earlier command. “Your son is lucky to have such entertaining parents.”

“He’s lucky alright,” The journalist mumbled. “I think I may be turning him into a fat baby, what with all the sugar I’ve been consuming lately.”

“Hehe! I wouldn’t worry too much, Kuroo-san; I’m sure the baby will be happy even if he’s a little chubby.”

Suguru and Kuroo waited quietly as the nurse spread gel over the expanse of Tetsurou’s rounded tummy, the alpha turning the lights off per Yuri’s request, and the ultrasound began. Last time their son had been small and cuddled up in a protective ball, but Suguru immediately noticed a change this time, sucking in a breath when the fetus appeared on screen.

“This is bullcrap!” Kuroo cried upon seeing that the baby had shifted positions. “I didn’t even get to feel him move! How the hell did he do that?! He must have gotten your sneaky genes, Suguru—I’m blaming you for this.”

“Go ahead,” Daishou said carelessly, scooting his chair closer to the screen. “Wow…he’s grown so much since last time.”

“Well yeah, I’ve been eating like a _maniac_ for the past month and a half.”

Yuri giggled again, moving the monitor around until the camera settled over the middle of Kuroo’s stomach, focusing on the entire profile of their son as he was seemingly stretching inside the womb; instead of being curled up like last time, the baby’s left leg was straightened out, and his right arm was laying above his head clutched in a fist, as if running into a gladiator battle triumphantly cheering. His features were more pronounced than the last check-up, nose and little lips clear in the picture, which Kuroo was glad to see, since his greatest fear was that their son would be born with a Voldemort nose and spend the rest of his life splitting his soul into eight different pieces…

“He really has grown,” Tetsurou hummed thoughtfully, a small smile on his face as the nurse clicked a button on the computer, quickly taking a screenshot of the image to print later. “It’s so cool to watch his progress over the months…”

“I bet he’ll be tall when he grows up,” Suguru said proudly. “His legs look long—so do his fingers.”

“He’ll be a middle blocker just like his mommy!”

“No way, he’ll totally be a wing spiker; look at the width of his shoulders already!”

“And here’s the heartbeat,” The nurse said before either boy could prepare. A soft noise began exiting the speakers next to the computer, growing in strength when Yuri turned the volume up, making everyone’s heartbeat spasm when the sound became audible to their ears. Kuroo and Suguru went completely still, opening their ears to the pretty song entering their hearts for the first time:

_Thump thump…thump thump…thump thump…thump thump…_

“T-That…That’s…”

“Oh my gosh,” Kuroo laughed breathlessly, putting a hand on his side so he could feel the heartbeat at the same time he heard it. The noise continued its even beat, thumping softly against the young man’s palm. Thump thump, thump thump. “That’s really Shindo’s heartbeat?! For real?!”

“Shindo,” Suguru repeated blankly, darting his eyes over to Kuroo, whose mouth was still hanging open in shock over the delicate heartbeat sound. “Who’s Shindo?”

“Huh?” The omega replied dumbly, not realizing his mistake.

“You…You said… _Shindo_. As in…”

“Shindo, like Shindo Minato in _Good Doctor_?!” Nurse Yuri asked with a happy gasp. “I love that show!”

“Ha ha,” Kuroo laughed painfully, giving a sheepish smile. “Surprise! I, um…I picked Shindo as his name. I was going to tell you, but I just decided a few hours ago, so…”

“No, that’s…that’s great,” Daishou swallowed, repeating the name over and over in his head as the baby’s heartbeat echoed off the walls.

 _Shindo. **Thump thump**. Shindo Suguru. **Thump thump**. Shindo_… _Shindo_ …

“I love it.”

“I know, right?!” Kuroo replied with relief, eyes brightening. “Isn’t it so fitting?”

“Shindo Suguru,” Yuri said thoughtfully. “It has a cute ring to it!”

“Yeah,” The chaebol smiled gently at Tetsurou. “It does. Good pick, Kuroo.”

The pair smiled at each other for a moment longer before returning their attention to the computer screen, adoring the other angles of baby Shindo and selecting which screenshots they wanted printed out; Kuroo would have been content to listen to no other song than the sound of their son’s heartbeat for the rest of his life, but there were other expecting couples that had appointments after them, and before long it was time to leave. The nurse cleaned Tetsurou’s stomach off and labeled their ultrasound pictures accordingly, letting them know that their doctor expected the baby to come anywhere from the beginning to the middle of May. To Kuroo, May seemed so far away, years in advance from the cold month of January—they were being forced to wait until a gentle spring day arrived, when the snow had melted off rooftops, when sheets of ice melted away from sidewalks, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Surrounded by piles of snowflakes, white skies, thick mittens, sharp icicles and slow traffic, the arrival of baby Shindo Suguru had never felt so far away.

“Have a good day, you two!” Yuri waved as the pair strolled down the hallway.

“Thanks, Yuri-kun; see you later.”

Almost immediately, Suguru and Kuroo snatched the ultrasound pictures out of the envelope like a bunch of impatient children, giggling over the images as they walked through the maternity portion of the hospital; Kuroo’s updated medical status reports were in there, too, but he couldn’t care less about what they listed his weight as anymore, and since Yuri said he was in perfect health, the omega focused his attention on little Shindo Suguru. The current report of the baby’s status had been written on the back of the pictures, modernized after the reveal of the boy’s name:

**_Baby ~~Suguru~~ Shindo!_ **

**_January 8 th_ **

**_Second Trimester (23 weeks)_ **

**_½ pound, 9 inches_ **

“Jeeeez, he’s going to be so _cute_ , Suguru!” Kuroo cooed to himself cheerfully, unable to stop grinning at the pictures. “I can’t wait to see him!”

“Of course he’ll be cute,” Daishou agreed, busy staring at his own set of images. “He’s our son, after all.”

“I just want to hold him and squeeze him and tell him I love him all day long—do you hear me, Shindo?” The omega said, talking down to his stomach. “You better come out soon so I can tell you I love you!”

“I wonder why you haven’t felt him move, yet,” Suguru wondered, handing back the ultrasound pictures. “Obviously he’s been doing some rearranging down there if he was in an entirely different position.”

“I’m telling you, Daishou, he’s accidentally inherited your Slytherin-like tendencies; maybe we can balance out his cunning abilities with some Hufflepuff loyalty—hey, look! It’s the nursery!”

Kuroo took off waddling towards a large room with a glass window exposing the insides for all to see; Daishou followed him blindly, both boys peering through to see an entire room full of newly born babies. Some had pink hats and blue hats, others had neutral greens and reds, labeled according to their parents’ names and separated by individual cribs. There was at least a dozen in this particular nursery, a few doctors inside checking on specific infants, a family or two taking their first pictures of their baby.

“Aww, that one’s so small…” Kuroo cooed, nodding towards one of the premature babies to their left.

“And that one’s a _beast_ ,” Suguru commented in shock, pointing at another chunky baby that looked as if it ate its twin in the womb. The omega punched his arm lightly, hoping no one else had heard the blunt statement.

“You can’t call a baby a _beast_!”

“Well, what am I supposed to call it?! Look at the size of that thing!”

Tetsurou couldn’t help but stifle a laugh behind his hand, gazing at the babies in awe as they went quiet; it felt like they were in an entirely different world from the newly born infants, standing on the opposite side of the glass that separated them. Inside the room it must have been noisy, chaotic, everything new and shining and bright—on the outside, where Kuroo and Suguru stood, everything felt slow, patient, and yet, their experiences would soon be colliding at a rapid pace. The chaos would run straight into the patience, forcing its hand and triggering frustration, fatigue and every other wonderful emotion, but surprisingly enough, Kuroo suddenly couldn’t wait to practice that other worldly sensation.

“I know we have an entire lifestyle change to be stressed about come May, but…I’m honestly getting really excited to have a baby,” Kuroo admitted softly.

“Me too,” Daishou hummed, watching one of the babies squirm its arm out of the blanket.

“I mean, look at them! They’re all so chubby and pink!”

Suguru snickered to himself as Kuroo sighed deeply, laying his head against the glass dreamily, adorable domestic scenes worming their way into his brain.

“I can’t _wait_ to have one of our own.”

The alpha turned his attention to Kuroo, locking his eyes on the pretty, beautifully eager expression on Tetsurou’s face that reminded him a lot of their old volleyball battles. In four months’ time, they would be holding a baby of their own, unplanned, but still as sweet a blessing as ever. Suguru suddenly couldn’t believe he had been so lucky to have a child with someone so tall and athletic and smart, not to mention, incredibly handsome, as his mother pointed out…Daishou got that alarming instinct to kiss Kuroo again, only resisting by the _tiniest_ shred of self-control he had left, most likely triggered by Shindo Suguru himself.

“Come on,” Daishou forced out in a choked voice, getting away with laying his hand on Kuroo’s waist. “Let’s get you home; we’ll be holding our own baby soon enough.”

“I guess you’re right,” The journalist sighed, putting a hand on his tummy. “I don’t want to get impatient with the little guy. You take all the time you need, buddy!”

They exited the hospital together and began making the long journey towards their car across the parking lot, Kuroo talking about everything on his mind along the way; Suguru focused as well as he could while simultaneously checking for ice patches underneath every snow pile they strolled over.

“I’m nervous to find out how bad breastfeeding hurts at first, you know?” Tetsurou worried out-loud, unconsciously touching his chest area. “It’s easier when you actually have breasts and all, so I have a feeling Shindo might have trouble ‘latching.’ Isn’t that a disgusting way to describe breastfeeding? _Latching_?”

“That’s pretty sick.”

“Exactly. Hey, did you know some people don’t vaccinate their kids? You think they’re on crack or something? It’s like, do you _want_ your kid to die of smallpox? This isn’t the middle ages anymore, these people should be thankful they live in first-world countries, you know?! Some people would _die_ to get their kids vaccinated!”

“I think you’ll fit right in with all the other PTA moms, Kuroo,” Suguru chuckled, leading them around a patch of ice.

“Thank you, Daishou—that may be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“You know what I was thinking?” The alpha began as they approached the Acura. “Since we won’t get out much after the baby is born, I think it would be a good idea to get out once a week for the next few months. We could go to dinner or see a movie…stuff like that.”

“That’s actually one of your better ideas, Dai-chan,” Kuroo agreed thoughtfully. “Let’s go out to eat tonight! I know I was whining about being fat earlier, but that was only because I was hungry; we should try this fancy sushi place on the North side of town. Bokuto and Akaashi said it’s really good.”

“So it’s a date, then.”

Suguru almost choked on his own tongue when he realized what he just said, eyes bulging when Tetsurou looked over with raised eyebrows and a suspicious glimmer in his hazel eyes.

“Um…sure…whatever helps you sleep at night,” The omega replied.

The chaebol coughed a few times to help rid the sharp winter air of the awkward atmosphere he accidentally set-up, opening Kuroo’s door so he could step inside.

“So, um—let’s get going. Gotta beat the traffic, you know.” Suguru forced out.

“Right…”

Tetsurou flinched when Daishou slammed the door a little harder than necessary, cursing himself under his breath while kicking a pile of snow; _stupid idiot! How could you make a mistake like that?!_ The alpha scolded silently, grumbling as he sat in the driver’s seat and started the Acura up. _DATE? Really? Are you fucking losing it? Why would you want to go on a date with Kuroo, anyhow? Sure, you sleep with him from time to time and got him knocked up, but that doesn’t mean you want to date him! You’re such a desperate loser, Daishou, honestly…_

Suguru let out a quick sigh before buckling up, glancing over to see if Kuroo had done the same; every negative thought he had towards himself drifted away in favor of admiring the sight of Tetsurou smiling peacefully down at the ultrasound pictures of Shindo Suguru, fingertip tracing over the ink carefully, as if pressing too hard would distort the image.

“He really will be cute,” Kuroo laughed softly. “Even if he does end-up looking like you.”

_I hope he looks like you._

“…Yeah,” The chaebol nodded stiffly, biting his tongue to keep from saying what he was thinking. “He’ll be cute no matter who he looks like.”

“Naturally—let’s get going so I can take a nap before we go out for dinner. Baby Shindo needs his beauty sleep!”

“Right.”

Kuroo continued smiling down at the ultrasound pictures dreamily, accidentally continuing his assault on Suguru’s senses as he backed out of the hospital parking lot, trying hard to keep his scent contained so it didn’t give him away. The idea of Shindo Suguru kept him distracted well enough (because how fucking adorable was that name?), but throughout the entire drive, the alpha felt an itch at the back of his mind constantly trying to worm its way back into the forefront of his brain, wanting to be a priority again; Shindo won out in the end, but the itch returned as Suguru followed behind Kuroo as they strolled up to their apartment, taking the stairs for exercise and stopping whenever the omega needed to catch his breath.

 

Without a disgusting doubt, Daishou was in the midst of falling in love with his dork of a volleyball enemy and the mother of his first child, Shindo Suguru. And there was nothing he could do to stop it, no matter how hard he tried.

~~~-~~~

That night, Kuroo and Suguru went out for dinner at the fancy sushi place Akaashi suggested; despite being a relatively busy restaurant, the atmosphere was rather quiet, which was good for Tetsurou, because lately he had been needing almost complete silence to enjoy his meals. Daishou didn’t know why this was, but requested a table hidden in the corner anyways, if only just to please the omega.

“Table for two?” The seater asked.

“Yes, please; and if it could be in a more secluded area that would be great.”

“Of course! Right this way.”

“Look at you, being all yakuza like,” Kuroo nudged the alpha as they followed the seater. “If you’re not careful someone might try to whack you, Suguru.”

“Just because my family’s rich doesn’t mean I’m in the yakuza,” Daishou rolled his eyes.

“Um, yeah it does, that’s what happens in all the TV shows, Suguru! Anyone who can get away with telling a seater exactly where they want to sit without being murdered the same night is definitely part of the yakuza; it’s the only explanation.”

“I asked because you said you can’t eat unless you’re someplace quiet—she obviously saw that you’re pregnant and feels sympathy for you.”

“Yeah, because I’m pregnant with a _yakuza_ baby.”

“Here you go!” The seater motioned once they made it to a secluded area. “I’ll have the waiter drop by in just a few minutes.”

“Thank you.”

“I hope you two have a lovely evening together—please consider the couples dinner collection on the back of your menu.”

If Kuroo had been drinking he would have spit everything out after hearing he and Suguru be referred to as a _couple_ , but Daishou was unbothered, nodding his head simply and holding the omega’s chair out for him.

“Did—Didn’t you hear that?!” Tetsurou asked him in disbelief, plopping down in the seat. “She called us a couple.”

“Well, it’s not like she’s totally off track,” Suguru shrugged, sitting down across from him. “I’m sure every other alpha who comes in here with a pregnant omega is bonded to them, so…”

“I guess that’s the social norm in Japan…”

“Maybe we’ll get a discount if we act super lovey dovey,” The chaebol thought suddenly. “Quick, start rubbing my leg underneath the table.”

“Don’t make me lose my appetite.”

“Tch.”

Kuroo ordered the fanciest dish he could see on the menu, sipping on a strange combination of chocolate milk and lemonade while Suguru, not feeling very hungry due to his conflicting inner thoughts, nibbled on a few appetizers before his simple temari dish arrived. The air between them wasn’t uncomfortable, but Daishou’s quiet attitude made Kuroo quiet, and as a result, there was little talking once they began eating; their location in the restaurant was isolated enough where the music hardly reached their ears, other conversations muffled in the background. Tetsurou really didn’t see the hype over eating out like some people enjoyed doing, but he did admit that it was nice to be out in public while not actually being out in public—sometimes he got the feeling people stared at him because they could tell he wasn’t bonded to go along with his pregnancy, and although Kuroo usually wasn’t bothered by what others thought about him, he couldn’t help wondering if their judgements were right once in a while. Tonight, he could handle just seeing Suguru’s judgmental eyes, because they weren’t as sharp as usual, nor did they even glance his way more than three times throughout the entire dinner.

As suspicious as that was, Kuroo didn’t really want to break the silence, conversation only starting when they had both finished eating and stood up to leave.

“Jeez, I’ve never gotten so full from sushi,” Tetsurou groaned, leaning against Suguru’s arm as they waited in line to pay. “Why’d you let me eat so much, Daishou?”

“I’m hoping you’ll fall asleep as soon as we get home; that way I can get some homework done without you nagging me.”

Kuroo huffed to himself, glancing around the restaurant as Suguru handed his card to the cashier; as he investigated a few pairs of couples, trying to see if he and Daishou accidentally copied any of their sickening habits, his eyes stopped on a familiar young omega sitting at a table with a few other ladies. It took him a long second to recognize those redish hued bangs, but when he connected the image with a fond high school memory, Kuroo’s mischievous side came out to play.

“Hey…isn’t that your ex-girlfriend?”

“Huh?” The chaebol turned in confusion, eyes flickering through the main waiting area. “What ex-girlfriend?”

“Oh come on, you know who I’m talking about,” Kuroo smirked evilly. “ _Mika_ , of course! HEY!!! HEY MIKA—”

“S-Shut up, she’ll hear you!” Suguru hissed, clapping a hand over the omega’s mouth. It was too late; Daishou’s girlfriend from high school turned at the mention of her name, eyes widening with surprise and joy when she spotted the wrestling pair standing by the register. Mika said something to her friends before hurrying over in their direction, immediately making Suguru blush and release his headlock on Kuroo, who elbowed his side in retaliation.

“Hi Daishou!” Mika greeted cheerfully. “I didn’t even notice you come in!”

“Er…hi, Mika-chan,” Daishou swallowed nervously, trying to put up a good front. “We were…we were just leaving, actually. Sorry to bother you.”

“Nice to see you again, Mika,” Kuroo interrupted, stepping in front of the alpha. “We’ve never actually officially met, but I’m sure you remember me from the old volleyball days, huh?”

“Ahh, yes, the rooster head!” The other omega nodded. “What was your actual name, again?”

“Kuroo,” He mumbled, aiming a kick at Suguru’s shin. “Kuroo Tetsurou.”

“Right, right—sooo…you two are on a date, then?” Mika wondered with a knowing smile, briefly glancing down at Kuroo’s stomach. “I heard about your pregnancy from one of the old team members; congratulations!”

“Uhhhh…yes,” Suguru nodded, making Kuroo’s mouth drop open. After the discussion they just had before dinner, he was still playing this card? “We were just…going out for a night. Um…you know, to…get out before the baby’s born.”

“Parenting can be very tiring, especially when you’re a rich chaebol who drives an Acura and doesn’t have to carry baby weight,” The taller boy added in a snarky tone.

“Would you shut up?” Daishou hissed at him.

“You’re the one embarrassing yourself, here, baby daddy!”

“Well, you’re really not helping the situation by trying to make me look uncool in front of my ex-girlfriend.”

Mika darted her eyes back and forth as the two began bickering with each other, an entertained smile creeping to her lips.

“Just so you know, Mika-kun, Suguru and I are _not_ dating; if he tried putting a ring on this finger, I’d pop him in the jaw, know what I’m saying? In fact, I still owe him a punch for knocking me up. How about you hold him down while I—”

“Mika, I’m so sorry about this idiot,” Daishou sighed. “He’s gotten quite delusional in his fifth month of pregnancy, I’m afraid.”

“Screw you!”

“He also can’t seem to control his anger, so I apologize if he seems outrageously jealous over our past relationship.”

“You two are just as dorky as I remember,” Mika giggled behind her hand right before the boys were about to really go at it in the middle of a sushi restaurant.

“Wha— _dorky_?” Kuroo repeated, as if it was difficult to believe. “I’m…I’m not…Suguru’s _way_ dorkier than I am, Mika!”

“Are not!”

“Are too!”

“Are not!”

“Mika, without using bias against Suguru because you two used to date or whatever, pick the dorkier one out of us.”

Suguru and Tetsurou both stopped their childish antics as Mika began laughing harder, both at the irony of the current situation and the idea of her particular ex-boyfriend knocking up his volleyball rival from high school. She totally should have seen this coming, though; Suguru had been a bit of a tsundere in high school, too, refusing to admit his feelings for Mika until their third-year, like he was playing hard to get. Mika thought maybe she would warn Kuroo of this, but judging on the secret admiration hiding behind those hazel cat eyes of his, she figured he was already too far gone.

“It was really nice to see you guys,” Mika continued happily as the boys continued standing there with blank stares. “Make sure you text me when the baby’s born, okay? I know some people think it’s awkward, but I’d like to send you a present when the time comes!”

“Oh,” Suguru replied slowly, sharing a look with Kuroo. “Alright, then…”

“I’ve got to get back to my friends, but I’ll see you around, okay?”

Mika reached on her tip-toes to hug Suguru, who seemed surprised as Kuroo gave him a thumbs-up from the side; with any luck, he could get them back together and raise baby Shindo on his own. That natural idea sent a bitter sting through his heart, and he suddenly felt jealous when Suguru hugged the omega back.

“Bye, Daishou-chan; try not to be so stressed out in the delivery room, alright?”

“Ah…right. I’ll do my best.”

Kuroo was prepared for a firm handshake, but was surprised to receive a hug as well, eyes widening when Mika whispered in his ear.

“Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy; I wish you all the happiness in the world, Kuroo-kun.” As she went to moved away, Mika leaned her mouth a little bit closer so Daishou couldn’t hear. “And, also, all the _luck_ in the world.”

“Pff…thanks, I guess.”

“Huh?” Suguru questioned when Mika released Kuroo. “Thanks for what?”

“I’ll see you guys around!”

The chaebol’s ex-girlfriend skipped back to her group of friends, sparing them a goodbye wave which they slowly returned, not sure why Mika spoke with such a knowing tone towards them. Suguru and Kuroo watched her for a long minute, feeling a bit sheepish at their behavior—Tetsurou was reminded of the last time he saw Mika during Nekoma’s high school match against Nohebi to determine who would represent Tokyo at Nationals; at the time he remembered hoping Suguru would get back together with Mika since they lost the game and the snake’s hopes and dreams were crushed into the ground. He thought if there was ever a volleyball reunion he would see Suguru and Mika married with a child, shoving it in his face that they reunited and had a happy family together.

Who would have thought Kuroo _himself_ would be the one replacing Mika in that image?

“Come on,” Daishou sighed deeply. “Let’s go home before we run into any other classmates…”

“Right. We better hope we don’t run into Lev outside…”

Suguru and Kuroo returned home after their first night out on the town (definitely not a date), exhausted and thoughtful after the scene with Mika; it was strange knowing other college students were probably out partying at this time, like the boys had attempted earlier in the year only to hook-up with each other and end-up expecting a child and living together. Kuroo wondered how partying nights ended for other people as he plopped down on the bed, absentmindedly rubbing his full tummy; _when you think about it, there’s really no point in partying_ , the omega concluded. _You dress-up for no reason, talk to people you don’t know nor like, drink alcohol that tastes disgusting, cloud your judgement making skills when you don’t already possess good judgement…then if you lose track of how much you’ve drunk and end-up stumbling into some creepy person…shit happens. At the very least, Suguru and I weren’t totally wasted like some losers who think blacking out will solve their problems. Sure, we did create more problems by sleeping together, but at least Shindo is a good problem; now HIV, that’s a real problem—_

“Ow!” Kuroo yelped suddenly, though he didn’t know why. The journalist glanced down at his stomach, realizing that what he felt was not pain, but…

_Kick!_

A loud gasp escaped the omega’s lips, hand scrambling to lay itself on the spot where he felt movement—after a second of silence, another kick came through, pressing right up against Kuroo’s palm as if Shindo could feel him.

“Oh my god! _Suguru_!” Tetsurou called loudly. “Suguru, get your ass in here!!!”

“What? What is it?” The alpha hurried in frantically, checking to see if anything was wrong.

“ _Shindo_!” Kuroo whispered, hoping he wouldn’t scare the baby into silence. “Shindo’s _kicking_!”

“No way.”

“Yes way! Hurry, hurry!”

Suguru launched himself onto the bed with wide eyes, letting Kuroo grab his hand and lay it next to his across the omega’s tummy; they waited a few more seconds before Shindo let out another kick, startling Daishou so badly he flinched. Another kick hit their hands, making Kuroo beam cheerfully, releasing an excited little squeal.

“Eeeeep! That’s so _cute_!!! Keep going, Shindo, keep going!”

_Kick!_

“Haha!” Daishou laughed breathlessly, tears threatening to fill his eyes. “He’s…H-He’s really letting us have it.”

“Making up for lost time, of course!”

“Here—lift your shirt up so I can see.”

“What? No way, don’t ruin it, pervert!” Kuroo argued, pushing Suguru’s hand away when he tried pulling at the hem of his shirt.

“I just want to see if we can see him kicking, that’s all.”

“Well, no means no; you’ll just have to be content with feeling it over my protective layer.”

“What’s the big deal?” Daishou asked with a frown, hand still cupping over where Shindo was relentlessly kicking at Kuroo’s stomach. “Don’t you want to see him kicking?”

“Well…yeah, I guess, but—but I don’t really want to expose my disgustingly stretched stomach to the entire world…”

Through their months of living together, Suguru had discovered Kuroo’s method of admitting his insecurities without really admitting his insecurities; he had a way of saying how everyone else didn’t care for a certain something when in reality, Kuroo himself was the one who disliked a characteristic about himself. The alpha saw right through this roundabout method immediately and usually called Tetsurou out in a sly, sympathetic manner—tonight, however, he felt a need for a more direct approach, because a shameful blush had crept its way to Kuroo’s face at the mention of his increasing stretch marks, and Suguru did not like that look on him. In shorter terms, he cared about Tetsurou and didn’t want him thinking badly about himself.

“I’m not going to think lowly about you just because you have stretch marks, Kuroo,” Daishou said gently. “I know it’s difficult seeing your body go through so many changes, but I don’t think you should let that stand in your way of seeing our son kick for the first time.”

“I don’t _want_ to think that way, Suguru, but it still happens whether I like it or not,” Tetsurou pouted, turning his head the other way.

“Quit being difficult and let me see.”

“No.”

The chaebol narrowed his eyes, feeling Shindo’s kicks lessen in force against his hand.

“…Kuroo.”

“I said no, didn’t I?”

“Let me see.”

“N-O spells no.”

“Kuroo. Let me see right now.”

“I know snakes are hard of hearing, bu—”

Kuroo yelped as he was suddenly wrestled onto his back, Suguru pinning his arms above his head while reaching for the bottom of the omega’s shirt; Tetsurou lifted his knees up as far as they would allow, blocking the alpha’s attempt.

“How dare you—”

“I don’t care about your stretch marks, just let me see—”

“Get the hell off me! Shindo! Shindo, _help_!”

“Let me see before he stops!”

“Shindo, your father is a monster!”

Suguru wrestled against Kuroo’s twists and turns, desperately trying to get the omega to calm down so he could see Shindo kicking for the first time; the journalist wasn’t going down easy, however, and continued struggling for quite some time, even cheapshotting with a knee to Daishou’s groin area. Suguru didn’t give up either, despite the unbearable pain, attempting to be gentle with his acceptance while still being forceful.

“Daishou-chan, I’m too full, we have to stop this!”

“Just let me see, Kuroo!”

“Never!” Tetsurou cried back.

With one final surge of energy, Daishou pinned Kuroo’s hands above his head and twisted the omega’s legs between his own, successfully tiring out the other—but in this new position, Suguru didn’t have any free hands to feel Shindo’s kicks. He huffed above Tetsurou for a minute or two, accidentally slowing down their argument and falling back into his dreamy mindset, staring down at the fatigued omega who peered back up at him. Their scents were lingering in the air, smelling happy despite Kuroo’s stubborn attitude and reluctance to show his swollen tummy; honestly, Suguru didn’t want to force such a display out of the journalist, but he was still learning how to co-exist with someone he had a crush on and accidentally impregnated, so while his attempts were meaning well, they weren’t always carried out successfully. Especially when he found himself thoroughly distracted by…other factors.

“He stopped,” Kuroo sighed below him. “Good going, _daddy_.”

Suguru couldn’t help the breathy laugh that left his lips, pulling a smile out of Tetsurou as well.

“We’re pretty dysfunctional as a fake couple, hm?” The chaebol hummed, loosening his grip on Kuroo’s wrists.

“Guess so. Shindo will have his work cut-out for him.”

“But…at least we’re trying. Together. That counts for something, right?”

Kuroo couldn’t help but feel that there was a different question within that question as he gazed into Suguru’s green eyes, searching for the real meaning behind the word ‘together.’ There had been a change in Daishou’s expressions lately, and the omega either refused to or couldn’t decode the explanation. Still, he felt he had to give the alpha something, since he had taken him out for a nice dinner…

“Yeah,” Tetsurou smiled. “It counts for something.”

Suguru’s next smile almost seemed pained, in a way, but Kuroo didn’t have much time to think because the chaebol suddenly laid a sweet little kiss on his cheek, and then he was off, planting another kiss where Shindo had been kicking before jumping off the bed.

“You want a bath before you go to bed? I can draw one for you.”

“No…I’m good,” The omega said in a daze.

“Alright; I’m gunna shower quick and then I’ll be in.”

“Okay…”

Kuroo watched as Daishou exited the room with his silky pajamas, entering the bathroom without another word; the shower head was turned on, giving Tetsurou a background noise as he laid on their bed dreamily, wondering why his cheek continued tingling even after Suguru had left. His chest felt a little weird, too, and while Kuroo blamed it on Shindo’s movements, he knew it wasn’t the case.

“What a noob,” Kuroo mumbled to himself fondly, rolling over on his side. “Your dad is such a noob, Shindo…but he means well. You like sleeping between us every night, don’t you?”

While Bokuto had been outraged over the idea of Suguru sleeping in the same bed as Tetsurou, the omega himself actually found it quite nice; Daishou sent off a lot of heat throughout the night, keeping both their son and Kuroo warm, and he never commented on Tetsurou’s closeness the next morning. Every time they woke-up at the same time, Kuroo thought of that first morning when their lives changed forever, groggily looking around the chaebol’s bachelor apartment…they often laid in bed together even before bedtime, as the journalist rubbed his tummy or tried to get his aching back to calm down for a while; through it all, Suguru had been there, content to sit on the other side of the mattress and watch. As much as Kuroo hated to admit it, Daishou was a good alpha, and would probably be a decent father when the time came in May.

The omega sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a moment as Shindo settled down in his stomach.

“…Definitely a noob, though.”

 

_January 16 th_

The fifth month of pregnancy continued in a long stretch for Kuroo, and with his leg and back cramps getting worse and worse, he decided to be a lazy student and skip class for the day; instead, he laid on the bed and watched _Good Doctor_ with Shindo, although he couldn’t even pig out during their binge because his stomach had felt funky all morning. To save himself from becoming a whiney mess, Kuroo even made a nest of clothing on the bed, not realizing most of the shirts and sweatshirts belonged to Suguru himself. Bokuto dropped by near noon since Akaashi and Kiyoko were out of town for a few days, the alpha claiming he felt lonelier than ever with his soon-to-be fiancé absent from their home.

“Kuroooooo…where are you?” Bokuto called into the apartment, sluggishly dragging himself inside. (He had a key specially made in the case of “emergencies” like this.)

“In the bedroom.”

Koutarou maneuvered his way through mounds of parenting books and found his best friend slumped on the bed with a heating pad over his calf muscles, those tired hazel eyes drifting his way. What was really surprising, however, was the nest of chaebol clothing surrounding the young man.

“Hey.”

“…Hey,” Bokuto nodded, making himself at home beside the omega. The overwhelming smell of another alpha made his nerves alert. “Not feeling well today?”

“These cramps are _killing_ me, Bo, and my stomach feels weird. The baby’s been kicking the hell out of me lately, too.”

“Baby boyyyy, is that true?” The alpha cooed, gently poking Kuroo’s tummy. “Are you giving mommy a hard time?”

“I’m glad he’s finally moving around, but does he have to do it right against my bladder?”

Koutarou snickered to himself, adjusting his head so he could see the TV screen across the room; it seemed that Kuroo was nearing the end of the season, if the worn-out play button on the remote was anything to go by. They were quiet for a few minutes before Bokuto started up another conversation prompted by Daishou’s stupid alpha scent flooding the room, one he had been wanting to talk about for some time; since Akaashi wasn’t here to be his filter, Koutarou went straight out with it.

“So,” He began simply, getting Tetsurou to look over. “How are things with the basilisk? He still being his usual slimy self, or have you used your omega charm on him?”

“He’s fine,” Kuroo answered lazily. “Why?”

“Well, in case you haven’t noticed, you made a nest out of his clothing.”

The black-haired student glanced down at the shirts surrounding him comfortably, shrugging like it was no big deal.

“I just grabbed whatever we had lying around; he’s such a neat freak it was hard even finding this much stuff. He has to have everything in a hamper, but somehow forgets to iron his fancy coats, so if he doesn’t do it the night before he’s running around like a headless chicken before he goes to work the next morning,” Tetsurou explained with a huff. “It’s a disaster, so I do it when he forgets.”

“Seems like you’re becoming a good little wifey,” Bokuto replied suspiciously. “You seriously iron the chaebol’s clothes for him?”

“Only when he forgets.”

“Right…”

Kuroo was too out of it to realize how suspicious Koutarou’s behavior was, cuddling further into the nest as a means of making his stomach stop rolling around; the smell of Daishou all over his best friend made Bokuto tingle uncomfortably, but he guessed that was natural given how he used to be the one supplying Kuroo with enough scenting to ease his nerves. While he accepted Suguru as his godson’s father, he still has his guard up concerning the alpha’s relationship with his best friend.

“Can I ask you something and have you answer honestly, Kuroo?” Bokuto wondered, leaning up on his elbows.

“…Alright,” Tetsurou agreed slowly. “I don’t really ever lie to you anyway, but…”

“I know. I just want you to be totally honest with your answer—don’t take my feelings as your best friend into consideration. Just let me have it.”

“Yes, I do think Akaashi is out of your league.”

“Wha— _hey_!” Bokuto wailed. “That wasn’t the question, asshole!”

“You told me to be honest, didn’t you?” Kuroo cackled in amusement.

“Jerk…that’s pretty obvious, anyway…”

“Well, what did you want to ask, then?”

The bulky alpha looked down for a moment, blankly running a hand along Kuroo’s swollen stomach. He already cared so much for hid godson, couldn’t wait until the little dude was born so he could spoil him to death, but…

“How are you and Suguru getting along these days?”

Tetsurou turned his attention from the TV screen back to Bokuto suspiciously, trying to read his expression.

“You already asked that.”

“I know, but…I want a detailed answer this time. You know I worry about you constantly, and sometimes I can’t sleep at night knowing you might be having a hard time getting along with that snobbish rich punk—are things bearable? Do you two argue a lot? Does he give you a bad time or make you do anything you don’t want to?”

“Jeez…I forget how thoughtful you can be sometimes,” Kuroo sighed, ruffling up his friend’s hair affectionately. “I should’ve gotten knocked up by you instead.”

“As flattered as I am, I’m pretty set on Akaashi—I’ll never find anyone as much of a sucker for me as he is, so I’ve gotta pin this one down before he realized how much better he could do.”

“Shut up—you’re perfect for each other.”

Bokuto grinned proudly at that, but didn’t let the previous topic go.

“Seriously, though, Kuroo…things are okay here, aren’t they?” He asked, those wide, golden eyes peering up at the journalist expectantly. “No homo, but I worry about you a lot, and sometimes I just want to hold you in my arms and tell you everything will be okay, because I sometimes think you’re not telling me stuff that best friends should know!”

“No homo, huh?”

“Are you eating enough? Have you been bleeding anywhere? Does Suguru scent you enough? Does he let you rest enough? Does he push you off the bed at night? Do your boobs still hurt?”

“They—They’re not _boobs_!” Kuroo defended, clutching at the developing breasts under his sweatshirt.

“They squirt out milk, don’t they?”

“Shut up! You’re embarrassing me!”

“Well then, let me in on your secrets! What’s happening on your side of town?”

Kuroo gave a dramatic whine and hid his face in the nearest pillow, swatting away Bokuto’s poking fingers when he tried tickling him out of the cocoon. This was a better time then ever to really explain his feelings…Suguru wouldn’t be home until nighttime, giving Tetsurou enough time to cry if he needed, giving Bokuto enough space to explode if he reacted badly to this news…honestly, though, Kuroo wasn’t sure he could _give_ his best friend an explanation. There was a shitty excuse for sleeping with Suguru in the first place, but there was no excuse for what the snake was making Tetsurou feel about him. It drove him absolutely crazy, but maybe if he opened up to Bokuto…

“…You won’t judge me if I’m totally, one-hundred percent honest with you?” Kuroo mumbled over the pillow.

“You’re already pregnant with Suguru’s baby, so…”

“Even if some things I say shock you, you won’t freak-out and unfriend me?”

“Of course not, bro, I love you!” Bokuto claimed. “You can count on me. Promise.”

Tetsurou remained quiet for a minute, face still mushed into a pillow that ironically belonged to Suguru’s side of the bed; it was that stupid heavenly scent that made Kuroo give a deep sigh before grumbling something inaudible into the pillow.

“ _Mm mink mm mlie soogoomoo_.”

“Eh?” Bokuto cocked his head to the side.

The omega sighed again, biting his lip harshly before peeking out, words still mumbled, a bit softer this time.

 

“…I think I like Suguru.”

 

Even though Koutarou promised to not react crazily, his mouth fell open in shock, scent flaring up from surprise as Kuroo watched his expression shoot upwards. The words were hard enough to say already, and the journalist could only imagine how hard it would have been if someone like Yaku would have been listening…

“What—for real?” Koutarou clarified. “You _like Suguru_?”

Kuroo nodded a few times, covering up his face as blush rushed to his cheeks like a middle schooler confessing their feelings for the first time; Bokuto remained silent and shocked for a long time, unable to speak or respond, even when Tetsurou tried giving an explanation.

“I…I don’t know what’s happening to me. It’s like all of a sudden I can’t stop thinking about him, I want to talk to him and I miss him when he’s not here—how fucking _sick_ is that, Bokuto?! Am I some twisted pervert or something?!”

“A little bit, yeah…but…you seriously…without any influence from your previous hatred of that snake, your feelings are telling you—that you _like_ him?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Kuroo groaned in agony. “I-I don’t get it at all, but I can’t help what I’ve been feeling towards him lately. I don’t know if it’s because he’s gotten more mature or because I’ve secretly kind of liked him this entire time, but over the past few months I just…long for him, you know? I feel like you did when you first started hanging out with Kiyoko and Akaashi—remember, when you were always in a daze and always felt like your chest was giving out? That’s what it feels like sometimes when I’m with that stupid bastard!”

The alpha was further shaken by this comparison, letting Kuroo squirm around uncomfortably as he sat on the other side of the mattress unmoving; to think he had been oblivious to what went on between Suguru and his best friend all this time, all the months they spent living together, sleeping in the same bed, for goodness sake—how did Bokuto not suspect something earlier? Akaashi probably noticed more than he did and chose not to mention anything, but how did Bokuto not realize that his best friend since high school had changed the way he looked at Suguru Daishou? It was almost unbelievable, a snake and a cat crushing on each other…were their feelings just influenced by the fact that they were having a child together, or had their volleyball rivalry blossomed into mutual respect for one another? Koutarou didn’t know. Kuroo had no idea. The alpha suddenly wished Akaashi hadn’t gone out of town, maybe he could have been here when Tetsurou confessed, maybe they could work something out together…

“Wow,” Bokuto finally said, staring off into space. “I…don’t know what I expected by asking that, but…I didn’t really see that one coming.”

“Neither did I, damnit!”

Kuroo buried himself under mounds of clothing again, hiding from his feelings and the world as another wave of aches and pains pounded through his body.

“Don’t hide, Kuroo, it’s really okay!”

“How?! How is it okay, Bokuto?!” The omega shouted through his protective layer. “I HAVE A CRUSH ON A FUCKING SERPENT! I’M GOING _STRAIGHT_ TO _HELL_!!!”

“Don’t be so dramatic! It’s not the end of the world!” Koutarou played off, patting his friend in comfort. “Sure, it is ironic that you’re falling in love with your bitter enemy who happened to knock you up following an impulsive night of passion, but it’ll be okay!”

Another whine came through from under the nest of sweatshirts and t-shirts, Tetsurou not responding to Bokuto’s encouragement. The alpha paused _Good Doctor_ on the TV, crawling closer so he could put an arm around where he thought Kuroo’s shoulder was; of course he had a million questions he wanted to ask, and a million jokes he wanted so desperately to make, but Koutarou managed to focus on just one serious inquiry that needed an answer in order for him to sleep that night.

“Can you explain something to me, though?” Bokuto questioned softly. “…What is it about Suguru that you’re starting to like?”

_“You’re hot,” He blurted out stupidly, cheeks burning before the last word even escaped._

_“Do you—you um…” The russet-haired boy mumbled nervously, moving onto his knees. “Do you mind if I’m on top, this time?”_

**_Suguru Snake Scum_ ** _: god be with u and ur satisfied ass_

_“If you’ll let me.”_

_“I bought it for you,” Daishou mumbled while flipping his collar up. “Enjoy your treat, kitty cat.”_

_“Uhh…just…wake me up if you, like…need anything. Okay?”_

_“Kuroo,” He addressed, lips barely moving. “I want you to tell me about these things when they happen. Please. I…I want you to know you can come to me with your problems—and if something ever happens with me, I’ll tell you right away. I care about you and the baby, so please…please tell me everything. Okay?”_

_“Oy—back off, creepo.”_

_“We’ll get it done tonight, and you’ll be able to hand it in tomorrow before class.”_

_“Your dad’s so nice,” Daishou sniffled, making Tetsurou freeze. “Y-You are, too.”_

_“You…You said…Shindo. As in…”_

“Just… _everything_ ,” Kuroo sighed quietly. “His stupid green sweaters…his sickening smile…how he puts this necklace on me every morning…the way his hair looks when its wet…how he talks to the baby before we go to sleep…when he curses in different languages…how he works hard at that shitty receptionist job he hates so much…when he encourages me whenever I feel insecure…just—just _everything_ about his stupid, chaebol self.”

Tetsurou fell back onto the pillows pathetically, body suddenly weak, like always whenever his feelings about Suguru became overwhelming. He absentmindedly touched the rose gold necklace around his neck, remembering how Daishou had insisted on putting it around the omega’s neck every morning, turning it into somewhat of a domestic ritual. Bokuto wasn’t sure how to comfort Kuroo anymore, still shocked over just how attached his friend was to the serpent—the scene was both pathetic and touching at the same time. The best friends laid together for quite some time before Kuroo decided he had better get his act together and take a long ass nap before Suguru got home and made dinner; he pulled himself out of the nest and followed Bokuto to the front door, lazily hanging on him while Koutarou finally recovered and got his head to stop spinning.

“Text me if you need anything, alright?” The alpha assured Kuroo seriously, ruffling his bed-head hair up. “Take a nice long nap—maybe when you wake up this will all have been a weird Harry Potter dream.”

“Where’s my fucking wand?”

Bokuto cackled and pulled his friend into one last hug, giving him a confident grin before exiting the apartment, just about bursting from not having Akaashi to tell his thoughts to. When he was sure Kuroo had shut the door, the alpha made a bunch of strange, violent movements, a delayed reaction from Tetsurou admitting his growing feelings for Suguru Daishou, Japan’s hottest chaebol— _what in the actual fuck is going on_? Koutarou wondered silently, pounding down the stairs two at a time. _First, Kuroo and Suguru sleep together. Second, Suguru gets Kuroo pregnant. Third…Kuroo is falling for him?! What universe is this?! Am I in a coma or something?!_

 

Bokuto didn’t have any answers, but was thankful he had enough self-control to not mention the fact that his immediate feelings towards Akaashi had resulted in love, because he wasn’t sure Kuroo would be able to handle that particular idea at the moment.

 

Later that night, the man in question returned home after a long day of school and work, bag of meat buns in his hand as he sluggishly entered their apartment. His body ached from sitting in that stupid receptionist chair, his eyes were burning from the amount of time he spent staring at screens today, and there was a pile of accounting homework sitting unfinished in his bag. He was too tired to even be cranky about everything he still had left to do for the day, too tired to complain, and yet, Suguru was happy when he slipped off his shoes and hung his coat up.

 _But it’ll all be worth it,_ the alpha exhaled deeply _. For Shindo._

“Kuroo,” Daishou called tiredly, throwing his bag and the meat buns on the island. “I’m home.”

Not spotting the omega in the living area, Suguru forced his tired legs forward, making his way to the bedroom where Kuroo’s scent was the strongest, probably on account of how he was lying practically naked on their be—

_Wait…_

_What?_

“It’s about damn time,” Kuroo greeted. “I’ve been waiting for fifteen-minutes, Suguru.”

Daishou blinked, then blinked again, still seeing the same image over and over again, unable to direct his gaze on anything else despite the overwhelming embarrassment flooding his cheeks; he confirmed that Kuroo was indeed, laying on the top of the covers of their shared bed, wearing nothing but one of Suguru’s white button-up shirts, legs and lower half exposed for all to see, shirt buttoned entirely over his rounded stomach. The alpha didn’t know what to think, couldn’t think clearly, too distracted by what he was witnessing to form any rational argument towards…whatever this was. He stood in the doorway for a long moment, heart racing over how glowing and ready Kuroo looked.

“U-Uh…um…why—why don’t you have any underwear on?” Daishou asked stupidly.

“They were getting uncomfortable, so I just launched them somewhere,” The journalist shrugged carelessly. “Well? Are you going to just stand there or come over here? You promised me a lifetime of sex whenever I needed it, Suguru.”

_Shit. I did promise that, didn’t I?_

“I—W-Well…I…wasn’t really… _expecting_ this…”

“Be spontaneous, Dai-chan! Look, I already have the condom and lube out; all you have to do is participate.”

“I—I don’t need convincing, Kuroo,” Daishou rubbed the back of his head. “I’m just…surprised, that’s all.”

“Well, can you be surprised over here? Hungry and horny is not a good combination.”

“Ah…right…”

Suguru wasn’t sure he could easily enter “the mood” when his thoughts were still lingering around his long day at work and Shindo, but the closer he stepped towards Kuroo, the easier it became. That disgustingly intoxicating scent infected Daishou’s entire being when he got within a foot away from their bed, Tetsurou’s skin brightened and glimmering with a thin layer of sweat already; by the time Suguru leaned over him on the mattress, their faces inches away, he was in a pretty smutty mood. How could he not be, what with Kuroo biting his lip like he was, black, messy hair dangling over his forehead, hazel cat eyes shining mysteriously up at the alpha, like he had something planned? Suguru would never admit how frightened he was, however, but accidentally showcased it in his actions, like always when it came to sex with Kuroo.

“Sooo…you want me to—t-to start?” Daishou swallowed.

“Yeah. Think you can handle that, big boy?”

“S-Shut up!”

To avoid facing his own embarrassment, the chaebol dove down and began nibbling and sucking on Kuroo’s neck; that got him to shut up pretty quickly, reveling in the shivers trembling down his spine as Suguru nipped at his sensitive skin over and over again. Honestly, Tetsurou wasn’t sure what put him in the mood in the first place, but after Bokuto left and he returned to his nest of the alpha’s clothing, he suddenly found himself longing for Daishou’s touch. It was actually one of his better decisions, because now all the stress upon his shoulders regarding feelings seemed to melt away at Daishou’s wandering hands—either that, or they multiplied without Kuroo knowing…

“There,” Tetsurou whispered when the chaebol sucked right below his jaw. “Right there.”

“The kitty likes to be bitten by the serpent, hm?” Suguru hummed with a sly smirk, mouthing at Kuroo’s jaw.

“Don’t t— _ah_ …don’t tell anyone.”

“It’ll be our little secret.”

There was an increase of heat flushing over Tetsurou’s cheeks, and he hated the fact that it had been caused by Suguru, but still allowed the chaebol to slide his long hands across his thighs, feeling more of his bare skin as those snake-like lips touched the cold surface of Kuroo’s ring necklace, a silent sign of approval. The omega’s legs had gotten thicker since the last time Daishou accidentally saw them (when Kuroo stepped out of the bathroom half-naked thinking no one was watching) and he thought he would die and go to heaven as Tetsurou let him grasp the soft, rich, hotter than usual skin barely able to be held in his hand. Suguru massaged the inside layer as he felt himself grow hard, continuing to slop kisses down the journalist’s collarbone—

“Wait wait wait,” Kuroo panted suddenly, grabbing onto Suguru’s biceps tensely. The alpha stopped immediately, mind immediately going frantic, thinking he had done something to unintentionally hurt Tetsurou; and to think, years ago he spent most volleyball matches against Nekoma _trying_ to hurt Kuroo... “I’m—I think I’m having a hot flash.”

The omega beneath Suguru felt a burning, irritating heat pour over his entire face and neck, pushing him into a heated flurry of agitation; it was more than just blush, more than embarrassment over his changing body; he read about pregnant hot flashes in one of the many books Suguru gave him, but per usual he didn’t feel all that worried about it until it happened to him. Daishou grew greatly concerned above Kuroo as the latter began squirming anxiously, eyes squeezing shut as overwhelming heat burned his skin, much like whenever he entered heat, only this time there was no aching in his groin area.

“Kuroo?” Daishou asked worriedly, eyes wide. “Are you okay?”

“T-They…They _hurt_ , Suguru,” Tetsurou whined, grabbing at his chest while squeezing his eyes shut. “They hurt and they’re turning into girl ones…and I’m _so hot_ …”

Suguru wasn’t sure how to respond to that, exactly, still hovering above the panting omega as Kuroo struggled through a hot flash, tiredly releasing his grip on Daishou’s arms to begin clawing at his sweaty skin. It didn’t help matters, of course, but he didn’t know what else to do; _what did the book say, what did the book say?_ Tetsurou wondered, feeling beads of sweat drip down his temple. How did the heat take over so quickly? _Drink cold water? Eat ice cream? Crap, I can’t remember…my skin is so HOT…_

“Here.”

Suddenly, a miracle came from above in the form of an ice pack, sliding onto his forehead with the help of an angel—coincidentally, this angel was Suguru himself, who had apparently jumped off the bed and ran to their kitchen while Kuroo was monologuing to himself. The cool surface collided against the omega’s burning skin in a raging battle, winning the first round by putting out the fire across his head, earning a sigh of relief from Tetsurou, even though the rest of his skin was still just as hot. Suguru solved that problem as well, immediately whipping out another ice pack and lying it against Tetsurou’s chest bone, easing the red skin away with his magical powers.

“Deep breaths, Kuroo,” Daishou reminded him, nodding when Kuroo followed his orders. “There we go…in and out, in and out…”

“That…That’s what she said…”

Suguru rolled his eyes and moved the locations of the ice packs, placing them on every hot spot he could as Tetsurou began coming back down to earth, feeling that roaring heat begin to die inside him; his skin remained clammy and warm through the next few minutes, but thanks to Daishou’s frozen heart, the hot flash was passing. Kuroo panted softly, leaning into the ice pack whenever Suguru brought it up to his cheek, making the chaebol smile a bit—once Daishou was sure the episode had completely passed, he kneeled back onto the mattress and let Tetsurou hold the ice pack to his cheek for a moment. It was then that the alpha noticed the pile of clothing underneath Kuroo, surprised to find that it was his own clothes and not Bokuto’s or Kuroo’s himself; as proud as it made him (and as much as he wanted to tease the omega about the fact), he stayed silent, watching and waiting for the pregnant student to calm down.

“Okay now?” Daishou asked gently when Kuroo peeled his eyes open. Even his eyelids had gotten sweaty.

“I think so…”

“Was that the first hot flash of your pregnancy? You’re not in heat or anything, are you?”

“No…my next one is in the middle of June,” Tetsurou sighed again, tiredly glancing up at Suguru. “That was fucking _hot_ , Daishou—and I don’t mean in a sexual way. It sucked ass.”

“I can tell,” The chaebol hummed. “You just about soaked through my shirt in a manner of minutes.”

“Ah…sorry about… _this_. I was just watching TV, you know, and the next thing I knew I had a nest full of your clothing…I’ll iron them tomorrow, so don’t get all bitchy about the wrinkles, ok—”

When Kuroo dared to make eye contact with Suguru, he was surprised to find the alpha smiling down at him, like he was happy or some weird shit like that. Tetsurou narrowed his eyes, taking the ice pack off his neck in case he needed it as a weapon.

“…Why are you smiling? You find my pain funny?”

“Not anymore.”

“Tch—not anymore…”

“I’m just happy, that’s all,” Suguru shrugged. “I like seeing us work so hard for Shindo. It makes me proud whenever we overcome obstacles like this.”

Kuroo certainly wasn’t expecting that answer, taken aback by the snake’s honesty so much another round of blush ran to his cheeks, causing him to cover up the scene with an ice pack again, though he decided not to let his rush of feelings go this time. Bokuto hadn’t exactly encouraged his romantic emotions towards the chaebol, but…with Tetsurou being this obvious, laying in a bed full of the alpha’s clothing, trying to seduce him by wearing one of his shirts (and no underwear), only to have his pain relieved by Suguru’s quick thinking, still wanting to kiss his stupid snake lips even though he knew he would be poisoned…yeah. He couldn’t let this moment go. Not again.

 

“Suguru,” Kuroo addressed quietly, seriously, getting the alpha to look down at him. “Do you like me?”

 

A long moment followed, question hanging in the air as Daishou silently choked on air, oxygen unable to supply the vulnerable part of his brain while the denial part of his brain continued to function, albeit somewhat slowly and pathetically. Suguru’s mouth hovered open uselessly, a noise creeping out of his throat until he stupidly decided on a role to play, transforming back into his high school self even though his heart was screaming for him to not say anything.

“Wha—do I like you?” Daishou repeated with a trembling laugh. “What kind of a question is that?”

“Well…I…”

“You must delusional from the hot flash—I’ll be a nice guy and scent you until you’ve calmed down, alright?”

Suguru dove to the side, landing in a pile of his own clothing as he began scenting Kuroo as quickly as possible, hoping it distracted and masked his shaking hands and desperate eyes. Why did he dodge the question, even when he had been wanting an answer himself? Daishou guessed it was pure instinct, a panicked reaction to something he wasn’t quite ready to face yet, although his heart ached more now than before…why am I such a jerk sometimes? The chaebol wondered, sparing a glance at Kuroo’s distant expression. Why can’t I face my feelings? Is it because we used to be enemies? Is it because all of this was totally unplanned, not created by my own choice? I don’t understand. Why didn’t I just admit that I have feelings for Kuroo? I caught a break and I choked the opportunity down my throat. Some business major I am…

“…Kuroo,” Daishou began, mouth dry.

“Yeah?” Tetsurou replied with a bit of hope, glancing over while that perfume-filled scent soothed his nerves.

“……Do you want soup for dinner?”

_Weak! You’re weak, Suguru!_

“Sure,” The omega nodded. “Can we have milkshakes after, though?”

“Yeah; I bought more Oreos so you could have a blizzard like at Diary Queen.”

“I knew it—you’re a sucker for me, Suguru.” Kuroo grinned, bouncing off the bed as Suguru laid there dejectedly. “Now help me find my underwear so you can’t peep at me!”

~~~-~~~

In the later half of January, work and school were really kicking Daishou’s sorry ass, but he found time for he and Kuroo to attend a national men’s volleyball game Friday night; it was Japan versus South Korea, a destined rivalry Tetsurou had always wanted to see live, and so, with Bokuto still busy welcoming Kiyoko and Akaashi back from their three day absence (Koutarou hated being alone), the pair excitedly attended the match alone, settling into their seats with three bags of popcorn and four waters. Kuroo promised he would only probably have to go to the bathroom once, but Suguru didn’t buy it, waiting for the omega’s bladder to erupt during the second game.

“That guy is such a good blocker!” Kuroo complimented, pointing at Japan’s middle blocker. “And his hands are friggin huge!”

“He has to have at least four blocks on that 6’8 guy from Korea,” Suguru added, watching as the beast attempted to slam the volleyball down, only to be brutally blocked by a triple team. “That’s gotta hurt his pride a little bit.”

“Like when I burned you all those times during our final game?”

“Do you have to bring that up every five seconds?”

“GOOOOO!!!!!”

The game was tied 1-1, and the boys were having a surprisingly great time together; Kuroo thought for sure they would be bickering and swearing at each other the entire night, but so far Suguru had only snapped at him once, when Tetsurou brought up the time he teased Suguru about his break-up with Mika before their final match. Pouty Daishou only lasted a few minutes, overcome by Cheerful Daishou over the intense volleyball game before them. Tetsurou couldn’t help but grin along with him, even posing for nerdy scrapbook pictures in between sets.

“Jeez, I’m getting so nervous for them!” Kuroo squealed, standing even though Suguru told him to sit down. “Their ace missed his last two serves—he’s gotta get this one in, or else the team’s morale is gunna die.”

“He’ll make it,” Suguru nodded certainly. “I bet he gets an ace this time around.”

“ _COME ON RIN-SANNNNNNN_!!!”

The wing spiker of Japan’s team tossed the volleyball up in the air—he ran forward as everyone held their breath, launching himself into the air and crushing the ball against his palm. It whizzed towards the net, nipping the top of the tape and making everyone gasp until it suddenly changed direction, spin totally stopped from the break of force. Suguru was the first to cry out when the ball fell onto South Korea’s side, almost right underneath the net, untouched for a service ace.

“OH MY GOD!” Kuroo cheered, slapping Daishou’s hand for a high-five as the entire stadium roared. “That was _awesome_!!!”

“I told you so!” Suguru laughed.

The third set was now tied 22-22. Kuroo had yet to piss his pants, and although his back was aching like hell, he ignored his pain and eagerly watched alongside Daishou as Japan’s ace went up for another serve; Korea dug the ball up this time, but it was a difficult ball to set resulting in a weak spike from the backrow. Japan had a perfect set-up, bump, set, spike—the volleyball was dug up again, pissing everyone off as South Korea began a counterattack.

“Shit shit shit,” Tetsurou mumbled anxiously, squeezing the chaebol’s arm tightly as his heart lurched each time the volleyball hung in the air. “I hope they can hang on f—”

 _BOOM_.

Japan’s middle blocker had launched himself into the air out of nowhere, slamming down an off-set from Korea’s setter and smashing the ball back onto their side. The crowd was on its feet in a second, screaming and cheering as loudly as possible as Japan took over 23-22. Suguru was nearly lifting Kuroo up from how excited he was, not even getting angry when the omega kicked the rest of their popcorn over. After that debilitating spike, Japan had enough momentum to win the third set 25-22; they were now ahead two games to one, and Tetsurou was really hoping they could finish it all right now, because his back was killing him from sitting in that uncomfortable chair all night. He could only jump so much before Shindo forced him down, his love for volleyball not enough to defeat gravity. Suguru jumped up enough for both of them, entertaining Kuroo and almost—just _almost_ —making him feel sorry for beating the snake all those years ago.

If the journalist didn’t know any better, he’d say Suguru loved volleyball as much as he did.

“WHAT?!!!” Daishou shrieked in agony. “South Korea’s blocker _totally_ hit that one with his hand! This is bullcrap!”

“Calm down, calm down, Japan’s still up 10-8.”

“But that’s a huge ass call, Kuroo, you can’t expect me to just sit here and take it!”

Kuroo burst out laughing and pulled a chuckling Suguru back down into his seat as Korea served, infuriating the crowd more by getting two aces in a row, tying the game. Following a time-out from Japan, they got their act back together and scored off a right side hit, then by a savage, unexpected dump from Japan’s tiny setter. Tetsurou wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold his bladder together, but he was saved by a surge of excitement that suddenly put Japan up 20-15; if they won this game, it would all be over. Suguru couldn’t even _speak_ he was so pumped, twisting his hands together nervously as Japan’s middle blocker who had hardly made a serve in all game went up to the plate. Somehow, the blocker managed to creep one over the net on this attempt, the ball sent flying back for an easy pass; but with Rin in the backrow, it would be difficult for th—

“ _ANOTHER DUMP_!” Kuroo screamed, shaking the alpha beside him. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!”

“WHOOHOOO!!!”

“Twenty-one to fifteen, come on, baby!”

“I’m gunna pee my pants, Kuroo, I can’t take this—”

“I might beat you to it, Suguru, because I drank every single one of those water bottles and I’m about ready to explode. Shindo might pop out, too.”

“Shut up,” Daishou laughed, nudging his shoulder as they turned their attention back to the game. “This idiot better not miss the serve…”

He did miss the serve, of course, making the score 21-16; with Kuroo’s praying and his tight bladder warning him to get the show on the road, Japan managed to scramble up a pass and a lucky hit, volleyball grazing over a South Korean blocker’s hands. The stadium eagerly sat in their seats, anxiously awaiting what could be the final serve of the night from Japan—the score was 24-19, Japan leading sets two to one. The serve turned in at the last moment, Korea getting a decent spike from it; Japan’s libero had an incredible save, but the pass was off, resulting in their setter tipping the ball back over, unable to get a good set off. Kuroo held onto Suguru’s hand, cutting his circulation off as they watched the Korean setter jump into the air, hands turning towards the net at the last second for a dump—

Only for it to run right into the hands of Japan’s middle blocker, falling down for a point.

“YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!”

“HE BLOCKED IT!!!!!!!!” Kuroo screamed, letting Suguru lay a sloppy celebration kiss on his cheek. “WHOOHOOOO!!!”

The stadium erupted into cheers as Japan celebrated, slapping hands and chest bumping as the final score rang up, 25-19.

“JAPAN BEATS SOUTH KOREA, three games to one!” The announcer hollered. “Japan wins games one, three and four to defeat South Korea, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, and 25-19! Thanks for coming out tonight and remember to buy your National Japan gear at the booths outside!”

Kuroo was hoping the adrenaline from Japan’s win would help ease his back pain away, but it still hurt like hell as they exited the arena, prompting him to bend over in agony and grasp at his lower back.

“What’s wrong?” Suguru asked through the loud noise, leaning beside him. “Do you have to go pee again?”

“No…my back hurts,” Tetsurou whimpered. “Really badly…”

Daishou immediately went into dad mode and put a protective hand on Kuroo’s side, helping him stand straighter so they could make it through the crowd; after maneuvering their way outside, Suguru suggested they take a stroll around the stadium for some fresh air, insisting movement helped alleviate back pain. Kuroo thought that was bullshit, but couldn’t think of any other remedy, and so, allowed the chaebol to link their arms together and lead them around the stadium quietly. It wasn’t as cold a winter night as usual, so Tetsurou was able to suck in the cool air without feeling like he was gluing his nostrils shut; they walked for a while without saying anything, focusing on the omega’s pain while being oblivious to the dorky background music playing from the arena’s outside speakers. There were a few groups of spectators wandering around as well, but Kuroo didn’t really see them, either.

“I can’t wait for spring,” He sighed deeply, feeling a section of his back aches cease. “No more snow, no more winter coats…no more friggin back aches all the time…”

“And no more fetus Shindo,” Suguru reminded him fondly. “He’ll be in our arms after winter ends.”

“Yeah, so why can’t it come sooner, huh? Why do I have to keep suffering like a big fat whale?”

“You’re not _fat_ , Kuroo.”

“But I am chubby.”

“Well…”

“Don’t you _dare_ agree with me, Daishou-chan,” Kuroo warned lightly, hitting the alpha’s arm with his free hand. “A good yakuza heir never tell his wife she looks fat, even if it’s true.”

“I’m a little frightened at how much you know about the yakuza, Kuroo,” Suguru narrowed his eyes. “Is there something you and Bokuto aren’t telling me?”

Tetsurou giggled mysteriously, getting a snort out of Daishou as they swerved to avoid running into a group of young alphas having a smoke outside the stadium. Kuroo was just about to make up some story about Bokuto being Japan’s up and coming yakuza leader and Akaashi being his soon to be yakuza bride, but his plans were interrupted by an obnoxious cat-call coming from one of the smokers at their left. Bokuto cat-called Akaashi once, when he was in the kitchen cooking dinner…long story short, Bokuto was quieter than he had ever been for the next two-weeks following that incident. Kuroo wasn’t even sure how to respond, hardly able to glance over and pin down the culprit before a terrifying, dangerous _growl_ shattered the peaceful air around them. It was a predatory, dominant, piss inducing growl that sent a powerful shudder through Tetsurou’s veins, even though the sound wasn’t directed at him. The omega had just glanced at the group of smokers when the noise hit his ears, confusing him by its location—the man who had whistled looked about ready to pee his pants like Kuroo had thirty-minutes earlier, eyes wide and shoulders suddenly slumping like a scolded child’s. Kuroo was further shaken when he realized _who_ the growl had come from in the first place.

“Shut the fuck up,” Suguru hissed after the fact. “And do us a favor by smoking by someone who _isn’t_ five-months pregnant, got it?”

Daishou turned them around and began pulling Tetsurou towards the packed parking lot, maneuvering them through a dark string of cars as the journalist struggled to catch up with the situation. Suguru had just _growled_ at someone—in public! Kuroo had only ever seen that happen in movies before. As the alpha tugged him along, getting them across the large parking lot in record time, where the Acura now sat alone in its space, Tetsurou seriously began wondering if the Suguru’s were part of some yakuza group. They had to be, right? No way they were that confident and protective over their mates naturally…right? Daishou was a selfish slime ball! At least, he was at one point…Kuroo couldn’t get that noise out of his head, the deepness, the absolutely threatening tone of the growl that echoed throughout the black night around them, all because of a cat-caller…he didn’t even scold himself when heat began flaring up in his stomach, not caused by a hot flash this time.

“Get in the car,” Daishou ordered with his last string of patience. “It’s open.”

Kuroo got in the car, hardly blinking as the alpha followed suit.

“People are unfuckingbelievable,” Suguru hissed in an angry tone, slamming the driver’s door behind him. “Why would you whistle or harass a pregnant omega when they’ve already got enough shit to deal with? Who does that to a person? It’s already fucking freezing outside, so why make the situation worse? What makes them think someone who is _clearly_ already in some sort of relationship would _ever_ wan—”

Suddenly, Daishou found himself tugged to the right by Kuroo’s grabby hands, a pair of heated lips smashing against his passionately; too shocked to kiss back, the alpha kept his eyes wide open, unable to wrap his head around this random situation until Tetsurou pushed even further into the kiss, tongue sliding into Suguru’s mouth like his life depended on it. When he did release Daishou from the fervent grip, his hazel eyes had turned dark, and that sinful tongue grazed across his own lips, as if savoring Suguru’s taste.

“K—Kuroo, what—”

“Come on,” The dark-haired omega ordered, tugging on Suguru’s shirt collar. “Let’s go.”

“G-Go _where_?”

An evil smirk was sent Daishou’s way before Kuroo began crawling over the console and into the backseat of the Acura. _Oh jeez…_

“Careful!” Suguru warned, putting his hands on the omega’s sides to guide him into the backseat, only to be pulled along by his shirt. “Kuroo, be careful….”

The second Daishou landed in the leather seat, Kuroo was all over him again, kissing and grabbing onto the back of the alpha’s neck intensely, lips darting over every patch of bare skin he could find; after the initial shock began wearing off, Suguru getting tricked into whatever sick game Tetsurou was playing, there was no stopping his own instincts. Kuroo sucked him in effortlessly, letting out a moan of relief when the chaebol’s long fingers finally find their way onto the omega’s back, pulling him closer in the backseat. Daishou thought back to the grocery store incident when he decked some asshole to save Kuroo’s honor and wondered if all pregnant omegas had a dominance kink like this one apparently did. The sound of sloppy kissing echoed loudly through the quiet of the car, the parking lot surrounding them utterly silent, unaware that in the darkness of a silver Acura NSX, Kuroo Tetsurou was giving his volleyball enemy Suguru Daishou everything he had.

“I’m going to lay you down,” Daishou said breathlessly once they separated, moisture smothered all over their lip area.

“Please…Suguru…”

The alpha released a quick, shaky breath before kneeling into the black leather fabric, gently adjusting Kuroo so he was lying on his back beneath him; this was where Daishou didn’t know how to continue, unsure what exactly Tetsurou wanted from this night—while he wasn’t looking forward to how much cleaning he would have to do the following day if he wanted the leather seats to maintain their perfection, he also wasn’t completely _opposed_ to having car sex, although the Acura’s backseat probably wasn’t large enough for certain…positions. Since the car had yet to be turned on, there wasn’t much light in the area, but Daishou could still see every detail of Kuroo perfectly, from the glistening wetness of his lips to the glowing paleness of his exposed skin; for a moment the pair let the burning anticipation grow between them, breath clashing against the other’s while Suguru hovered above Kuroo, waiting for a sign.

“Um…things will—probably look a little… _different_ ,” Kuroo began, licking his lips nervously, fighting between covering himself or boldly letting Suguru see everything. “I…I’ve gotten a little chubbier and everything, and my chest is getting weird, so keep that in mind—”

“Stop talking.”

Tetsurou did so, staring up at the alpha above him, whose usually perfect hair had been tugged out of its position; Suguru looked a bit like a beast with his bangs hanging over his forehead, red hued lips hovering open seductively, narrowed eyes peering down at their victim through the darkness of the Acura. If Kuroo didn’t know any better, he would say he was about to be eaten alive by a snake. Instead, Suguru decided to take charge of the situation, ducking down to grab hold of the omega’s t-shirt—since they both still had all their clothing on, the air was hotter than ever, but Kuroo didn’t really want that to change, and so only allowed Daishou to pull up his shirt; the alpha sucked in a sharp breath, alarming Tetsurou at first as he frantically watched the serpent’s expression of hunger when his t-shirt was pulled all the way up to the bottom of his throat, exposing a swollen stomach, darkening stretch marks forming on the omega’s sides and a pair of nipples that were already rubbed raw. It was just like the other day when Kuroo attempted seducing the business major, a thought that only spurred Daishou on, since they didn’t get to finish their make-out session.

“Don’t be embarrassed by your beauty, Tetsurou,” Suguru hummed, breath tickling over the pale skin. “I like you all ways…”

What Daishou admitted was very true; to him, there was nothing hotter than the sight of Kuroo all sprawled out in the backseat of his car, warm and eager, heavily pregnant stomach exposed along with his swelling nipples, preparing for when they were needed most, which, at least in the chaebol’s case, was right now. Tetsurou managed to keep his eyes open until Suguru latched on to his right nipple, at which point the omega gave up all senses of dignity, releasing a moan that was much too loud for their current situation. He understood Suguru’s words, then, feeling just how much the chaebol really did like him right against his thigh.

“S-Suguru,” Tetsurou whimpered desperately. “You…You growled…”

“He whistled at you,” The chaebol grumbled against Kuroo’s breast, getting dangerously close to a growl as those images flashed through his head in red. “…He can’t have you…he _won’t_ have you…”

Sure, Kuroo had experienced Daishou’s tongue against his chest before, all those months before when he was accidentally impregnated or whatever, but due to the condition of his nipples now, their sensitivity was at an all-time high and it showed—Suguru had hardly even been nibbling on them for a minute before Kuroo felt like he would explode from sensory overload, legs squirming around each side of the chaebol’s hips, torn between pulling the alpha off or pulling him even closer. Somehow Daishou had managed to slide his right hand into Kuroo’s sweatpants without him noticing, making the journalist flinch when that cold surface came in contact with his leaking tip; Suguru began working him over, worsening Tetsurou’s desperate state before the alpha’s long, slender fingers stopped their assault, moving down underneath the stretchy fabric of Kuroo’s underwear near his entrance, which both unfortunately and fortunately, was already leaking from excitement. The clash of scents collided in the air, having nowhere to go in the small space of the Acura.

“I’m going to put my fingers inside,” Daishou warned, breaking off from his attack on Kuroo’s nipple and causing him to whimper from the loss. “Okay?”

“ _Hurry_ ,” The omega begged. _How disappointed would Bokuto be if he could see me now…_

Suguru sucked in a breath, too attracted to the mess beneath him as he used Kuroo’s wetness to soak his fingers before pressing two at the twitching entrance, all the while not taking his predatory eyes off Tetsurou’s face. He wanted to judge every reaction his movements caused, hoping the use of actual lube wouldn’t be necessary, since the chaebol wasn’t wearing the coat in which the _Goodies!_ objects were once hidden inside. Kuroo gazed up at him dreamily, his panting the only noise between them as Daishou carefully slid his fingers in.

Had they seriously only decided to attempt this while in the backseat of his car?

“ _Shit_ ,” Suguru hissed when his fingers made it all the way inside, flesh burning around their intrusion. “You’re hotter than usual…”

Kuroo released a choked whimper, yanking the alpha down to kiss him sloppily, a feeling Suguru reveled in, not having the self-control to stop his exposing scent from rushing over Tetsurou ever chance he got. _How does he do it?_ The chaebol thought in a haze, peeking his eyes open as the omega continued laying kisses upon his lips. _How does he make me lose all sense of reason with just one kiss? How does he manage to make me like him so much I feel the need to devour him?_

In a final, half-hearted attempt to rid himself of these endearing thoughts, Daishou began moving his fingers inside the tightening space, not giving Kuroo a moment for relaxation and reaching up to fondle the omega’s breasts again while simultaneously driving Tetsurou crazy by sucking on the pale expanse of his neck with those white, dangerously sharp teeth nipping at his throat. It was all too much for one person to handle—Kuroo’s scent exploded in a powerful whiff, only succeeding in further intoxicating Suguru with the addition of Tetsurou’s sobs. Surely Daishou’s abs would be terribly sore tomorrow, holding him over Kuroo without any help from his wandering hands, but he couldn’t care about that now, not when _his_ omega reacted so powerfully to what he was doing. Kuroo couldn’t stop squirming and wailing, couldn’t stop feeling all of those slender fingers inside him, how they spiked the volleyball and served the volleyball right at their enemy, how they expanded to block one of his spikes, rebounding with a spike of their own, and now they were _inside Kuroo_ , working him well despite this being Suguru’s first attempt…

“Daishou!” Tetsurou yelped, left hand tearing at the back of the driver’s seat to his left for balance, while the other hand desperately grasped at Suguru’s chestnut locks of hair. “ _Dai—shou_ …”

Another growl rumbled in the alpha’s throat, pushing Kuroo up another level of ecstasy as Daishou bit down particularly hard where the omega’s neck met his collarbone; those torturous lips were getting closer and closer to Tetsurou’s chest again, causing him to tighten around Suguru’s fingers in fear, though he eagerly awaited what would happen once the chaebol found his way back to that sensitive area.

“N-Not there,” Tetsurou cried pathetically. “Daishou—”

Suguru ignored his pleas, biting down on the breast his hand cupped firmly, sucking harshly on the forming fat as Kuroo moaned, frantically lurching upwards to either get closer to or escape the overwhelming sensations; his swollen stomach pressed against Daishou’s chest, finally pulling out a groan from him. In the blur of intense energy, feeling his own teeth graze over Tetsurou’s skin, Suguru suddenly felt an alarming urge to completely bite down on _another_ body part—his vision went black for a moment as he imagined the scene, imagined what it would feel like to bite the bottom of Kuroo’s neck, claiming the dorky omega for himself, biting until he could feel their souls connect, their entire existence merge into one as blood trickled out of the dominant mark, warning any alpha who came near Suguru’s omega to stay the hell away, no one would ever dare whistle at _his omega_ again—

“Close!” Kuroo shouted suddenly, nails digging into Suguru’s scalp and bringing him back down to earth. “C-Close… _please_ , Daishou…I c-can’t…”

Daishou pulled his mouth off Tetsurou’s breast, forcing his aching abs to continue holding himself up as he hovered over the journalist, watching every reaction as he relentlessly worked Kuroo into an orgasm, finally allowing his left arm to lean on the leather beneath them for balance; all the while, Suguru grinded his hard-on against Kuroo’s thigh, eyes becoming tearful from sweet relief as his own build-up began. He hadn’t even touched himself yet, but already felt a rush of euphoria coming through his jeans, curtesy again, of the stupidly lovable middle blocker beneath him. Kuroo’s stomach and breasts lurched with every press of Daishou’s fingers, muscles tensing in preparation for what was come, panting and whimpers shared between the pair.

“Beautiful,” Suguru said breathlessly, trailing his lips over Tetsurou’s cheek. “So beautiful…”

“ _Ah-hhh_ …”

The alpha dared to go even further, pushing Kuroo to his absolute limits by sucking on the skin right below his ear, body completely covering Tetsurou’s, now, coat rubbing against both the omega’s stomach and nipples and driving him further to insanity. The wet noises below were louder than ever, both boys just on the peak of their high as they desperately grasped at each other, windows fogging up all around them.

“A-AH! Daishou, _Dai-shou_ —!”

Kuroo came with a loud wail, splattering the underside of his belly with cum as he became unbelievably tight around Suguru’s fingers struggling to move inside him, though the chaebol did his best to work Tetsurou through it. The omega continued wailing as his neck was relentlessly sucked on, heavy body jerking powerfully beneath a panting Suguru; just when Kuroo thought he was coming down from his high, Daishou let out a loud groan against his skin, head falling into the crook of Tetsurou’s neck as he furiously humped against the journalist’s thigh, searching for his own high as that stupid scent of Kuroo’s suffocated him. Another jerk of pleasure shuddered through Kuroo when spasms finally overcame Suguru’s fatigued body, left hand clutching at the leather beside the omega’s head, nails digging into the black surface while shakily still trying to hold most of his weight off Tetsurou’s stomach.

“Ah-aaaa…”

Daishou was practically sobbing over Kuroo from the force of his own orgasm, trembling and jolting above him as they both slowly made their way off the high. The atmosphere inside the backseat was overwhelmingly intense and somehow gentle, clouding Kuroo’s vision for a few moments as they panted quietly, a few tired groans escaping here and there while they laid together; they still had a mess to clean up, and their bodies were sweaty and disgusting given how they were mostly fully clothed, but Suguru couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of happiness even though his entire body felt like it would give out at any moment.

“Deok Hwa has seen too much.”

That got a tired laugh and a light smack out of the omega. Suguru took a deep breath for focus, radiating all his remaining energy on slowly taking his soaked, stained fingers out of Kuroo’s entrance, causing the other to whimper softly. Every muscle in the alpha’s body ached horribly when he finally pushed himself up onto his knees, allowing Tetsurou to lean up on his elbows; with their breathing still labored, Kuroo noticed the wet mess on Suguru’s fingers (and most of his hand) and glanced around for something to clean them off with.

“Ah, here…let’s find some tissues or something, so we c—”

Just as Kuroo glanced back at Daishou, he was shocked to see those mischievous green eyes staring right back at him before the alpha stuck the messy fingers into his mouth and _sucked them off_ , lick by lick, until every drop of the sticky substance was gone, evidence erased. Kuroo stared at him in utter disbelief, never imagining such a lewd display of sexuality from the high-ranking chaebol as the latter gave him a questioning expression, apparently seeing nothing wrong with what he just did.

“What?” Suguru shrugged innocently. “I didn’t get to finish my popcorn, you know, so I was hungry.”

“Y-You can’t just _say_ stuff like that, idiot!” Tetsurou cried, though a smile was threatening to peek out at the stupidly inappropriate comment.

“Why not? It was funny.”

“No it wasn’t, it was totally _embarrassing_ for me!” Kuroo complained, unable to look in the alpha’s direction as he scrambled up into a sitting position. “How could you look me in the eyes and do that?! Sicko!”

“Shouldn’t you be flattered? I mean, it was _your_ cu—”

“ _Stop,_ Suguru _, stop!”_

Suguru laughed to himself as Kuroo hurriedly found some tissues in the console between the two front seats, wiping off the sticky substance from the bottom of his stomach and making sure any liquid that found its way onto Suguru’s precious leather seats was wiped off as well. While they cleaned themselves up and readjusted their clothing, the intensity of what just happened returned, forcing the boys to say something to each other after that fiery display of hunger. They accidentally made eye-contact during their silent ranting, but instead of things being more awkward, they suddenly couldn’t look away from each other—green stared into hazel for a long moment, replaying the touches, the kisses exchanged not moments ago. Something was changing between them. Kuroo couldn’t explain it, didn’t know what to call the feeling, but something had definitely changed without their knowledge.

“So, um…that…that was _different_ ,” Tetsurou coughed, pulling the rest of his shirt down in embarrassment at his earlier sluttiness. “It was, um…”

“Pretty fucking awesome.”

“Exactly.”

“You were…” Suguru struggled to find the right word. _Perfect_ was right, but that was too bold. “You’re really cute when you whimper. I liked it.”

“And you’re pretty hot when you act all focused,” Kuroo smiled over at him. “I didn’t want to take my eyes off you, honestly.”

“Same. I, um…liked how you didn’t worry about your body the whole time. You just let your feelings show, and I thought that was sexy.”

“Thanks. And thanks for calling me…beautiful, and stuff. I know this is weird, but where did you learn to use your mouth like that, Suguru?”

“I don’t know,” Daishou blushed darkly, carefully helping the omega back into the front seat. He followed suit once he was sure the omega was fully seated. “It’s not like I have much experience in the category…”

“I know, that’s why I’m asking.”

“It’s probably just because it’s with you.”

Suguru was pretty much over his stupidity concerning Kuroo, and so had no energy to sigh or scold himself after what he just said out-loud. Tetsurou simply gave a hushed laugh, hiding his blush by pretending to fix his hair (a futile attempt) while the alpha adjusted himself as well he could into the driver’s seat; this was a nasty little challenge given how he hadn’t even taken his dick out during their sexual escapade…

“Damnit,” Daishou whined, pouting down at his crotch area. “I ruined my underwear—this is going to be disgusting, driving back home while my pants are all…icky.”

“I would offer to lick it off for you, but your little _display_ earlier kind of ruined my sexual appetite,” Kuroo joked.

“I’ll take a bath when I get home. You, um…you can join me, if you want.”

“Sure.”

With nothing else to comment on (at least nothing that wouldn’t make their blush even darker), Suguru cleared his throat and found the Acura’s keys, starting the car up and switching the heat to the AC, even though it was the middle of January; both he and Kuroo noticed the windows were still fogged up from their activity, though they refused to comment and waited patiently until Suguru could see out the front windshield. The volleyball game was almost forgotten, a distant memory replaced by a passionate moment of admiration between the wing spiker and the middle blocker—the radio provided a quiet background noise as Suguru pulled out of the parking lot, shifting uncomfortably at the disgusting feeling inside his pants. To distract from this sensation, Daishou pushed himself back to reality and asked Kuroo something he had been curious about for some time.

“Can I ask you something?”

“No, I don’t know how or when I developed a snake kink.”

“Shindo,” Suguru said thoughtfully, ignoring the comment. “What made you decide on that name?”

“Ahh, well…I figured the only chance he would have at being a nice boy like Shindo rather than sneaky bastards like us would be if he had his name,” Kuroo explained fondly. “You like it, don’t you? You weren’t just lying so we didn’t scare the nurse?”

Daishou nodded quietly, a tiny smile finding its way to his messy lips.

“I love it: Shindo Suguru. It’s pretty damn adorable.”

“I know, right?! It’s so catchy, it’s perfect for a J-pop star!”

“Don’t ruin it for me.”

Kuroo whined and hit his shoulder, but a second later he was propping his head against Suguru’s arm, holding onto the object as if it were a pillow. The alpha didn’t scold him or push him away, simply remaining quiet and keeping the chosen arm as still as possible; they drove through the winter night quietly, glancing at speeding cars, thoughts kept to themselves. Suguru had enough declarations of admiration for one night. Sucking on Kuroo’s nipples had been bold enough, right? He didn’t have to follow up with a written letter of a detailed explanation for why he enjoyed ravishing the omega, did he?

_Shindo Suguru…Shindo Suguru…_

“I can’t believe we’re going to have a baby soon,” Suguru whispered in the dead of the night. “It doesn’t seem real, you know?”

“Yeah…pretty soon we’ll be parents. Together. You and I.”

“Yup…”

More silence radiated through the Acura as they stopped at a red light, bright hues shining across their damp skin. January was basically half-way over—next came dreary February, then came the melting of March, followed by a shining, flower-filled month of April, and finally, three months from this exact point, on a spring day in May, they would be holding their son, Shindo Suguru. Maybe they would even be in a real relationship by then. Maybe Suguru would be brave enough to admit his feelings after Shindo was born, and they could all three be unconditionally happy together.

The idea was almost too good to be true.

“…Hey, Daishou.”

“Hm?”

“Wanna rub ointment on my boobs when we get home? I asked Bokuto earlier, before he left, but he said they looked too gross.”

“You asked _Bokuto_ before you asked me? And you _showed him_ your _breasts_?”

“A mistake, I admit; but you’ll do it after we take a bath, won’t you?”

Suguru released a deep sigh, but it wasn’t his usual irritated sigh; it was more of a “this is too much for my heart and dick to handle” sort of sigh.

“Fine,” Daishou mumbled. “Show me where the damn ointment is when we get home.”

When they pulled into their apartment parking lot, Suguru found himself unable to move from the driver’s seat, and it wasn’t entirely caused by the mess in his underwear. It was caused by the dork sitting next to him who slid out of the car effortlessly, teasing the alpha about beating him up the stairs because he “made a mess in his diaper.” He didn’t move even when Kuroo glanced behind him, flipping the chaebol off while giving a cheerful, sickeningly happy smile that could basically be heard even through the Acura’s windows. Earlier, Suguru had imagined _bonding_ Tetsurou, his mortal enemy who was now carrying his child—he imagined biting him as he fucked another orgasm out of the omega, claiming the journalist as his forever mate, hoping for a lifetime of babies and hand-holding and protecting, solidifying their relationship like they were desperately in love. Shindo, their first child, was to be born in May. They just got each other off in the back of Suguru’s car, and Kuroo was smiling at him like a fool, hurrying towards the apartments so they could take a bath together, unaware of how close he had been to being bonded to his high school volleyball enemy.

 

This was when business major Daishou Suguru knew he would not be exiting this period in his young life without a broken heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didja catch that "SUCKER" reference? THE JONAS BROTHERS ARE BACK, BABYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!! On another note, my favorite line from this chapter was Suguru's "What? I was hungry." wtf daishou stop trying to be cool, ur a dweeb
> 
> This chapter was a whopping 41 pages, so enjoy this until another long ass month passes before another update. (drools) I've been working too much lately and it sucks, but SHINDO WILL PREVAIL. Have a good day!
> 
> Love,  
> Bodhi


	6. "honestly, i miss you"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> phone calls, pining and coloring pictures

_Yeah, I hate you_

_Although you left_

_There hasn’t been a day that I have forgotten you_

_Honestly, I miss you_

_But now I’ll erase you_

_Because that will hurt less than resenting you_

 

_February_

Suguru’s business class had planned a two-day trip to Osaka earlier in the year for their research projects; while Daishou had been excited before, when the weekend ran up on them suddenly he found himself acting like a hot mess, overly concerned about Kuroo’s current state of pregnancy. It was decided that if the alpha was so worried (apparently not trusting Bokuto to remember to check up on his bestie), Tetsurou would ask his father to take a weekend off and hang out with him—Mori was more than happy to oblige, cooling down Suguru’s nerves a bit, though he was still feeling anxious about being away from his precious unborn son (and Kuroo, of course) for the first time since this chaotic journey began.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go,” Daishou suggested for the tenth time as Kuroo followed him outside Saturday morning, where a bus load of rich business majors waited for their star in the parking lot. “I mean, what if there’s an emergency and I’m not there to help? What if you go into early labor or something? You’ll remember to eat, won’t you?”

“When have you _ever_ had to remind me to eat, Suguru?” Tetsurou sighed, pointing at his bulging stomach. “I’ll be fine, for the last time! My dad will be here in a little bit, so just _chill_ , alright?”

“Alright,” The alpha sighed deeply, collecting himself. “I’m fine. It’ll be fine. Right?”

“Yes. Now do you have everything? Underwear? Snacks? Lube for when we have late night phone sex?”

“Tch—and to think I was going to miss your sorry ass…”

Kuroo snickered to ignore his blush and allowed Suguru to scent him for the hundredth time that morning, pulling him in for a warm, comforting hug despite the audience only ten feet away. Honestly, Tetsurou wasn’t sure how he would react to Daishou’s absence, given his sudden change in opinion towards the snakey chaebol, but hopefully nothing embarrassing would happen that would reveal his feelings to Suguru, or worse, his father. Kuroo was trying to keep these odd emotions quiet (although, he probably shouldn’t have told Bokuto if that was what he truly wanted), hoping to avoid embarrassment or having his pride injured on account of their previously hostile relationship. Often Tetsurou thought back on that August night, digging deep into every interaction they had hoping he wouldn’t find hidden romantic gestures previously unnoticed or ignored. So far, Kuroo hated himself even more than usual because there were a few details that seemed way too personal given their relationship back in August—maybe it was a good thing Daishou would be away for the weekend.

“ _Please_ , call if you need anything,” Suguru begged with wide eyes when they pulled away, keeping his grip on Kuroo’s shoulders. “If you want me to talk to Shindo, or if you need to hear my voice, just call me whenever, I’ll answer right away, no matter what.”

“You think pretty highly of yourself, don’t you, Dai-chan?”

“Of course,” The chaebol shrugged innocently. “From what I gathered after our little escapade in Deok Hwa the other week, you think pretty highly of me as well.”

“I’m so sick of your shit,” Kuroo laughed, hitting the alpha’s arm. “Get the hell out of here before I punch you in front of all your little yakuza friends.”

“But you will call, won’t you?”

“ _Y-es_ , now _go_ , Suguru, _go_!”

“Bye Shindo!” Daishou cooed to the omega’s stomach, patting the rounded object gently. “Daddy will be back soon, so don’t you worry! Be good! I love you!!!” Instead of running off after this final goodbye, Kuroo was shocked to feel a soft pair of lips briefly press against his own, the kiss short enough to be considered decent, but long enough where the bus of immature college students whooped and hollered behind the glass. “I’ll text you later, alright?”

“Ah…right. Have—Have a good time.”

Tetsurou tried sighing when Suguru hugged him again, but only a smile came out as he watched the alpha snatch his bag and hurry off across the parking lot, yelling back for the omega to get inside because it was cold. Kuroo remained outside until the bus drove off just for spite, blowing a puff of visible air out before heading back inside to wait for Mori’s arrival; that stupid chaebol was going to be the death of him if Shindo didn’t get him first. The swelling and back aches had been killing him lately, so he was glad Mori would be there as a distraction; they were set to have dinner with Akaashi, Bokuto and Kiyoko that night, and since Kuroo didn’t want Shindo to develop diabetes from an excessive amount of sugar he consumed while in the womb, he had yet to eat anything that day, ignoring Suguru’s warnings to eat enough. Honestly, all the omega wanted was more sleep—ever since Shindo finally began moving around inside his stomach Kuroo hadn’t gotten a decent night of rest, not aided by his overactive bladder that seemed to trigger itself every ungodly hour. Let’s not forget the fact that none of Tetsurou’s slippers fit anymore, his feet swelling so much it looked as if he had moved up two shoe sizes…

Yeah. Kuroo really needed a weekend with his father.

The journalist rested for a solid fifteen-minutes until someone knocked on the apartment door; heaving himself off the couch, Tetsurou smiled and opened the door, revealing his already beaming dad standing on the other side.

“TETSU!!!” Mori cheered happily, immediately wrapping his son in a tight hug and spinning him around (an impressive feat, given Kuroo’s latest weight gain). “Man, am I glad to see you!”

“Same to you, Dad—now put me down before you throw your back out.”

“Get roasted!” Mori casually threw out there, setting his mortified son down and kicking his shoes off. “I used that right, didn’t I? Hey, have I ever told you how much I love this apartment? It’s really fancy. I love the colors, too; it’s the perfect starter home for my precious grandson. How is he doing, by the way?”

“Moving around like one of those psychotic mushrooms in Mario Cart,” Kuroo sighed deeply, waddling back over to the couch. “You can throw your bag in the bedroom; I’ll sleep out here tonight.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Tetsurou,” Mori laughed, setting his bag down by the couch where his son had sat back down again. “I’m not about to let you sleep on the couch when you’re this pregnant and without your alpha for two whole days. You think I’m some kind of terrible father like the ones in your Korean shows?”

“You’re at least better looking than them.”

“Haha! Got that right.”

“Thanks for coming on such short notice, Dad—Suguru was really worried about leaving me alone for a weekend. I guess he doesn’t think Bokuto is responsible enough or something,” Tetsurou shrugged, wondering where Daishou got that impression from. He hadn’t lost the engagement ring yet, so that was enough proof for Kuroo, although he knew Bokuto well enough where he wouldn’t describe him as being _totally_ responsible… “You didn’t have any big date planned, did you?”

“You really want a new mother that badly?” Mori cackled while ruffling his son’s already messy hair up. “If anything, I should be asking you if _you’ve_ been on any dates lately. I’m content to be a bachelor for the rest of my days—you, on the other hand, are in your prime age; I guess you’ve been busy enough with the baby and everything, but start considering your options after he’s born. You know I get anxious about your personal life, Tetsu.”

“And _you_ know I get anxious about you being alone at the house all the time,” Kuroo retaliated.

“Hey, I’m not always alone; I have the boys at the shop come over for dinner every week, remember?”

“Right…because other bachelors have to hang out with _more_ bachelors.”

Kuroo rubbed his bloated tummy absentmindedly, repeating the phrase “ _your alpha_ ” over and over again as Mori investigated the newest addition of framed pictures next to the one of Suguru and Tetsurou at the park. The concept of love was really starting to piss him off. Daishou had printed a picture of Kuroo studying (against his will, since he had nerdy glasses on and was wearing a crop top over his very pregnant stomach in the image) and another one of them together, though the omega insisted the snake had performed some sort of photoshop magic, given how close they were in the picture, almost cheek to cheek and smiling mildly during one of their K-drama marathons…if anyone asked, that’s the excuse Kuroo would give. He knew he couldn’t fool his father, however, and so hoped he didn’t ask.

“What did Daishou have this weekend, again?” Mori questioned, sitting down beside his son without commenting on the pictures.

“Some business class trip to Osaka. With luck, he’ll find a hotter omega and leave me behind so I don’t have to pick up after his snake skin sheddings anymore.”

“Oh?” His father replied in a thoughtful hum. “Seems like a half-hearted wish to me…”

Kuroo jerked his head to the side to stare at Mori suspiciously, wondering how the hell the older alpha had seen through that lie so easily. For someone who hadn’t dated or even looked at another person romantically in over ten years, Mori seemed to still be caught up with the times—Tetsurou guessed this was because the alpha knew what it was like to _really_ be in love with someone. Even if his only love lasted only a short while, he remembered how every little emotion felt, and knew definitely understood how difficult life was when that significant other was no longer around. Of course, Kuroo’s situation contrasted greatly from his father’s, but he still thought of Kimmi Kuroo as a reference.

“Want anything to eat?” Mori asked, letting Tetsurou off easy for the moment.

“No…we’re having dinner at Akaashi and Bokuto’s tonight, so I’m trying to pace myself. There’s some stuff in the fridge if you’re hungry, though.”

“Got any ice cream?”

“Duh.”

“Let me guess,” His father grinned, getting up to dig through the freezer. “Hokkaido milk flavor?”

“Wha—how did you—”

“Your mother only ate that kind of ice cream when she was pregnant with you,” Mori explained fondly, grabbing the container gleefully. “She got me hooked on it, too—that’s why my stomach looked so chubby in the first few pictures we took with you.”

“Whatever you say.”

Despite Kuroo saying he wasn’t hungry, Mori brought him a spoon anyway, and the pair started their weekend together by eating an entire container of ice cream and catching up on the college student’s homework, followed by a marathon of _Touch Your Heart_ , a drama Mori Kuroo followed religiously. Akaashi texted them asking for dinner requests, and it was decided that since the pregnant omega craved something meaty, they would have sweet ginger meatballs and onigiri. All the while, Kuroo wondered whether or not he should tell his father about the latest development between he and Suguru—it became increasingly difficult to hide their increasing intimacy, what with their colliding scents crashing against Mori’s senses whenever he strolled past their (shared) bedroom…Tetsurou managed to distract him by showing him their finished baby room, equipped with spring themed origami papers, cranes and Pokémon alike.

“Wowwwww,” Mori said in awe as they walked in, Kuroo immediately plopping down on the ground to ease his fat ankles. “This is so kawaii!”

“Dad, you don’t have to use internet slang to impress me. Just say it’s cute.”

“But this is so much better than just _cute_ , Kuroo! I love it!” The alpha continued, investigating the adorable pinkish walls and decorations. “I know I saw it at your party, but you’ve really tidied it up since then; did you do all this origami? That’s so cool!”

“Suguru did that one,” Kuroo snickered, pointing at one of the more crumpled origami cranes sitting on Shindo’s dresser. “Took him a few tries, but he got it right eventually.”

“This is way cooler than your sailor room—you probably don’t remember, but I forced you to wear sailor outfits for the first month of your life, just to fit the theme of your room.”

“I’ve seen pictures; thanks for that, by the way.”

Mori laughed happily, admiring the rest of the baby’s room before settling by the crib, smiling gently at the kitten themed sheets and animal mobile hanging above the mattress; to think, his son was preparing for a child like he and Kimmi had done all those years ago—it seemed like only yesterday Kuroo was leaving for college, playing in his last volleyball game and inviting his loud but entertaining friend Bokuto over for dinner. Now, Tetsurou was preparing to have a baby of his own, had moved into a new apartment with a new guy who happened to be pretty damn rich…where had the time gone, and when did his son get lucky enough to find a real-life chaebol of his own?

“Jeez…I seriously can’t believe I’m going to be a _grandpa_ in a few months,” Kuroo Sr. sighed wistfully. He ran his hand along the crib softly, as if imagining baby Shindo already sleeping inside it. “He’ll be so happy with you two—I’m sure. I’ll do my best as grandpa, of course, sugaring him up before sending him home for the night.”

“Comforting,” Kuroo chuckled from his spot on the floor. “I’m sure he’ll be spoiled enough, given how much of a sucker Dai-chan is with me…I can only imagine how much he’ll get away with once he realizes Suguru’s wrapped around his little finger.”

“Suguru-kun spoils you?”

“Reluctantly at first, but he’s coming around,” Tetsurou snickered evilly. “I haven’t fully taken advantage of it yet, but I can tell you right now that I chose most of the decorating for the apartment _and_ got to pick the baby’s name.”

“You picked a name? What is it?!”

“Can’t tell you,” His son teased. “You’ll have to be patient and wait until May.”

“Alright, alright…you’re lucky I’ve got nothing but time…”

Mori plopped down on the soft carpet beside Tetsurou, remaining quietly thoughtful as they both looked over the baby’s room; the pair were content to get lost in their own little worlds until Mori noticed a slightly nervous scent of pine needles and flower petals drift past his senses. He flickered his eyes over slyly, catching sight of Kuroo biting his lip as if he wanted to say something—the next few minutes passed in silence, however, prompting Mori to give his son a certain look that made the omega release a deep sigh.

“I have something to admit, Dad,” Tetsurou started lowly, not believing what he was actually going to do. Could there be a more awkward conversation between father and son?

“I had a feeling you did,” Mori nodded, giving him an open smile. “What is it? Are you having triplets or something?”

“No no no! _No_ triplets!”

Kuroo continued squirming uncomfortably for a while before his father brainstormed up a guess as to what was causing his son to be so stubborn. It had to have something to do with pride. There were only a few options relating to that topic, narrowed down further by those ever-suspicious scents coming from the bedroom across the hall.

“…It’s about Daishou-kun, isn’t it?”

A short nod. Tetsurou refused to look up, didn’t want to look anyone in the eyes after what he was about to admit to the world; it was just so embarrassing when the journalist thought in retrospect. Developing a crush on your most hated enemy who knocked you up? So cliché! Who wanted to admit that, much less, to their father who lived a very traditional love life all those years ago? It was mortifying, but Mori wasn’t letting Kuroo off easy. He gently grabbed hold of Tetsurou’s chin with his fingertips, angling his face upwards until they could lock eyes.

“Tetsu—it’s not like I can ever be _mad_ at you,” Mori chuckled. “Just tell me what’s going on and I’ll do my best to help.”

 _I know that_ , the omega sighed, nodding again. _But it’s just so hard because it’s a serpent we’re talking about!_

“I think I’m falling for Suguru,” Kuroo finally confessed. Despite Mori guessing this was what they would be discussing, his eyebrows still raised in surprised at the level of sincerity Tetsurou showed. “I kind of already told Bokuto this already, and I know it doesn’t help matters, but ever since we moved in we’ve… _slept_ together pretty frequently. I don’t know how or when or if it’s because we sleep together that I’m having these feelings, but lately I haven’t been able to get my mind off him, you know? I’m starting to like things I used to find stupidly irritating about him, like how he licks his lips at least fifteen times during every friggin meal, and how he drools on his pillowcase every single night, only to deny it the next morning. After all we’ve been through, I just…he’s growing on me, Dad. And I don’t know what to do with those feelings.”

“Ahh, I see, I see…well, sleeping beside each other is an incredibly intimate setting, Tetsu,” Mori began explaining, paining Kuroo because he realized his father didn’t understand what he meant by the words _slept together_. “I’ll never forget the first time I slept in the same bed as your mother; I didn’t get a wink of sleep all night because I was afraid I’d move around and wake her up!”

“Dad—I didn’t…I don’t mean _sleeping_ together,” Kuroo stressed as his cheeks flushed. This couldn’t get any more embarrassing, could it? “Well, we do sleep in the same bed, now, but I meant really _sleeping_ together.”

Mori blinked a few times, eyebrows cocking in confusion.

“ _You know_ …” The journalist tried again, lowering his tone. “Like……having _sex_?”

“Ohhhhhhhh!” Mori cried in understanding, further humiliating his son. “So _that’s_ what you meant! Okay, I gotcha—ohhh. I can see what you mean, now. That would make a sticky situation when you used to hate each other…”

“I know.”

“And you’re also having a child together…”

“Yeah.”

“But now that you’ve been ‘sleeping together’ over the past few months while living and bonding with each other, you’ve developed a crush…”

“Yup.”

“Jeez—you’re in a heap of trouble, aren’t you, Tetsu?”

Kuroo groaned and let his upper torso fall over Mori’s lap dramatically, whining into the alpha’s jeans.

“ _Daaaaddd_ …”

“Hahaha—I’m sorry, I can’t help but tease you sometimes, bud.”

“You’re the love expert, here, so tell me what I should do!”

Mori thought for a minute or two, gently running a hand through his son’s messy hair as he put himself in Tetsurou’s position; pregnant his junior year of college by a rich, fashionable alpha he used to despise and has a long, nasty history with, now living with that same person who spoils Kuroo, reads a lot of parenting books, works despite being from a wealthy family and happens to be incredibly handsome in a dorky kind of way. It was a tough situation all around.

“Do you think your troubled feelings are caused by your previous indifference towards Daishou?” He questioned lowly. “Is it a pride thing?”

“Maybe. Probably. I don’t know,” Kuroo huffed. “I think it’s that and just…the fact that we don’t always _work_. I mean, we bicker all the time, so I guess I’m just concerned that if I take a chance and he happens to feel the same way…what if it blows up in our face? What about the baby? What if we ruin the rhythm we’re in and destroy everything?”

“Wanna know what I would do?” Mori began thoughtfully, peering down at his son. “I would just tell him. I know, I know, most people aren’t very understanding towards innocent feelings, but from what I’ve gathered about Daishou’s character, I think he would be willing to hear him out if you really confronted him about it. And who knows? He probably feels the same way towards you, Tetsurou.”

“But…what if he _doesn’t_ , Dad?” The omega questioned again in fear. “Then we’ll have to co-parent the baby for the next twenty-years with unrequited love bouncing around between us and making things awkward and painful—I really…I really don’t think I could do that.”

“Well, it’s not like you’ll never find love again; there are plenty of fish in the sea, as you always say to me.”

Mori only suggested finding another alpha to test his son’s reaction—and he was not disappointed. The terrified, empty expression on Kuroo’s face told Mori everything he needed. Kuroo felt very strongly towards Daishou, so much, in fact, that the idea of another lover entering the picture injured his heart. Besides; Mori figured if they had continued _sleeping together_ even after the shocking reveal of Tetsurou’s pregnancy they had to at least hold some fond feelings towards the other a _little_ bit. Kuroo was right to fear Suguru’s reaction, because the last thing they wanted for their son was for him to be bouncing between a pair of parents who hated each other after a romantic relationship fell apart.

“But,” Mori concluded upon analyzing his son’s reaction. “…It’s not really fish you’re into, is it? I believe they’re both certain types of reptiles, but—”

“Yes yes, I have a snake fetish, I know,” Kuroo waved off. “None of those fish are Daishou so I would _still_ be miserable because I love him.”

The end words died in Tetsurou’s throat, but the damage had been done; just as Mori’s eyes widened considerably, a cell phone went off in the living room. It took until the fourth ring for them to snap out of their funk and hurry into the living room, Kuroo answering without saying a word, mouth still hanging open as Bokuto’s loud voice exploded through the phone’s speakers.

“ _KUROOOOO!!! Kaashi says we’re ready! We got all the food done on time, and I didn’t burn anything because Kiyoko helped me, and of course we’ve got enough for Mori-san_ ,” The alpha explained in one breath. “ _And Akaashi says you can come whenever and stay as long as you like, and you get to take all the leftovers home, which is kind of lame, but I guess since you’re guests we have to give them to you…_ ”

Kuroo still hadn’t found the power of speech, letting Koutarou control their conversation with random bouts of information. Love. Love. ‘Because I love’…who said those words? What third-world demon had entered the omega’s body and possessed him to say such nasty things?

“Is that Bokuto-kun?” Mori asked, sliding the phone out from his son’s grip. “Hey, Koutarou; it’s Mori.”

“ _Hey, Mori!_ _I’m so excited to see you, dude!”_

“Same; it’s been a long time.”

Like, Kuroo understood—but LOVE? L-O-V-E? Two billion love songs, every other conversation between teenagers, the idea everyone dreamed of whenever they felt alone?

 _“I’m gonna sneak some frosting from these bars before_ —”

“ _Koutarou, if I see your fingerprints in my bars_ …” Akaashi threatened in the background.

“ _Fine, fine!_ ” Bokuto grumbled like a child. His next tone was lower, disappointed. “ _See you in a bit, Kuroo-san_.”

“Yup, see you then!”

Mori set the cell phone down as his son continued standing blankly, heart pounding with confusion even though Tetsurou’s memory was pretty certain he had already admitted the same thing to Bokuto days earlier. Maybe it only triggered a shocked reaction from Kuroo because his father had yet to retort or disprove his son’s words—Mori watched him for a few seconds before breaking the omega’s concentration (before Tetsurou blew a gasket and went into early labor).

“Koutarou says they’re ready for us.”

“Oh—right. Um…I’ll—I’ll…go get our coats,” Kuroo said hurriedly, snapping out of his funk to rush towards the door. He couldn’t be in love with Suguru. He already _was_ in love with Suguru, that’s why they were in this mess! And did he really just admit that to his father? That he was afraid of being rejected by the heir of Slytherin? No way they could get through dinner in this state. No way.

“We’ll finish talking later, alright, Tetsu?” Mori assured him, ruffling Kuroo’s hair as they slid into their coats.

“Yeah. Thanks, Dad.”

“You got it.”

Tetsurou reached for a set of familiar keys, handing them to his father and watching in delight as Mori suddenly realized which car they belonged to.

“Are these…”

“Let’s go for a little ride before stopping at Bokuto’s.”

“What did I ever do to deserve a son-in-law like Daishou?”

Mori laughed as his son lightly hit his arm, following him down the hallway and into the parking lot where Suguru’s Acura NSX sat quietly, waiting for someone to drive it; after a solid fifteen-minutes of tearing through Tokyo with his father looking like an eligible bachelor (and a little bit of a sugar daddy), they arrived at Bokuto’s apartment in style, watching Koutarou bang on the living room window in agony when they stepped out together. Kiyoko opened the door for them after hearing a knock, a hearty smell of meat and fresh ginger rushing into Kuroo’s nose deliciously.

“That smells _amazing_ ,” Tetsurou commented as they stepped inside, patting Kiyoko’s head in greeting. “Bokuto didn’t stick his fingers in anything, did he?”

“He tried, but Daddy scolded him,” Kiyoko informed him casually. Kuroo wondered how she didn’t fear her father when he was angry like Bokuto did.

“I guess I forgot to introduce you guys at the baby shower—Dad, this is Kiyoko-chan, Akaashi’s daughter.”

“It’s a pleasure to officially meet you, miss Kiyoko,” Mori smiled gently, his bow making a slight blush run over Kiyoko’s cheeks, though her neutral expression remained.

“Nice to meet you, Kuroo-san,” She replied softly.

“Hey hey, Mori!” Bokuto interrupted cheerfully, running over to give Kuroo’s father a big hug. “Long time no see!”

“How’s it going, Kou?”

“Great! Akaashi says dinner’s ready, so let’s go sit down!”

“Thank _god_ ,” Tetsurou groaned, pushing past his best friend to sit at the table. “I’ve only eaten ice cream all day, so I’m _starving_.”

“You look it,” Koutarou snorted.

“Bokuto-san,” A heavenly, but sharp voice scolded from behind them. Akaashi looked unfairly attractive in his dirty blue apron and dress pants, shooting his boyfriend a glare as he finished cutting the pan of pumpkin bars. “It’s rude to comment on the weight of a pregnant omega. Haven’t I told you that before?”

“Sorry, Kuroo,” Bokuto sulked. Kiyoko patted his arm in comfort. “I don’t think you look fat…”

“Nah, it’s cool; I have gotten pretty chunky—but enough about weight, I want to eat!”

“Nice to see you again, Kuroo-san,” Akaashi greeted with a polite nod, setting down the last of their meal on the table.

“Right back at you. Everything looks delicious.”

“Akaashi’s a _great_ cook!” Keiji’s boyfriend boasted as everyone began piling food onto their plates. “For my birthday he made me the best beef I’ve ever tasted, and for Christmas he made those incredible cannolis, remember?”

“Aren’t you a proud little boyfriend,” Tetsurou replied casually, not really paying attention because he had to focus on piling as much food onto his plate as possible without spilling.

“Of course I’m proud! Have you seen Keiji in his apron? Isn’t he so cute?”

Kuroo pretended to gag when Bokuto pinched Akaashi’s cheek lovingly, the other omega simply giving a sigh and a soft smile before everyone began eating, content to listen to Bokuto’s ramblings about how perfect his boyfriend was, which then led to a discussion about Mori getting to drive the Acura, which then almost led to the topic of Suguru (which Mori avoided for his son’s sake), leading towards a conversation about a boy at Kiyoko’s daycare whom she had a huge crush on.

“Kiyoko has a _crush_?!” Bokuto screeched, apparently not aware of this latest development. “Who?!!!!”

“His name is Atsumu, I believe.” Akaashi clarified. His tense tone told Kuroo that he didn’t exactly approve of Kiyoko’s choice in men.

“Yes,” Kiyoko confirmed beside Bokuto, eyes brightening a little bit. “He helped me clean my doll up the other day.”

“That little monster touched the doll I got you for Christmas?!”

“Bokuto-san, hush.”

“So, what’s this guy like, Kiyoko-chan?” Kuroo questioned innocently from across the table, having just finished his third plate. He would encourage any conversation if it meant avoiding his own love life. “Charming? Funny? A total dork?”

“Not really.”

“You just like him because he helped you clean your doll up?” Bokuto wondered out-loud.

“Mm…” Kiyoko hummed, ducking her head suddenly. “I don’t know if I like him anymore…”

“Why’s that?” Akaashi asked. Kiyoko was never usually passive or shy about anything, so this type of hesitance was suspicious to her mother. Kuroo watched carefully as the young girl peeked back up at the adults, dark midnight blue eyes looking a bit glossy when she replied.

“Atsumu’s an omega,” Kiyoko explained in a fragile tone. “He doesn’t like me back because I’m a _girl_ alpha.”

The table went deadly silent as those words sunk in, Akaashi staring blankly at his daughter as Bokuto’s mouth fell open, trying to decide between yelling profanities at this punk Atsumu or comforting Kiyoko. Kuroo wasn’t sure what to think, but suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot through his chest when he smelt a brief wave of _Akaashi’s_ pained scent beside him. No one spoke for a long moment until the intensity was cut by the ever so kindhearted Mori Kuroo.

“Well, that’s a silly reason not to like someone,” Mori said casually, smiling over at Kiyoko. “You kids shouldn’t be so concerned with titles, anyway; you can’t stop yourself from liking someone just because they’re a different gender.”

Kiyoko shrugged, setting her chopsticks down and hiding her expression behind her obsidian hair; Akaashi went to brush the locks out of her face, but his daughter stood from her seat before either he or Bokuto could comfort her.

“May I be excused?” She sniffled, alarming Kuroo as he suddenly smelled the scent of salt in the air.

“…I suppose…”

Kiyoko ran out of the room without another word, shutting her bedroom door (Kuroo’s old room) as the rest of the party sat at the table awkwardly; Bokuto looked furious compared to Akaashi’s desolate expression, the omega slowly pulling himself up and giving a quick bow.

“I better go after her,” Keiji murmured, turning towards the hallway. “Excuse me.”

The second Kiyoko’s door closed again, leaving Mori, Tetsurou and Bokuto alone together, the grey and black haired alpha let out a low growl, angrily throwing his chopsticks down on the table.

“If I ever see that little Atsumu punk,” Bokuto threatened darkly, cracking his knuckles. “He’s gonna get a _serious_ ass whopping.”

“You’re going to barge into a daycare and start beating a child?”

“What kind of kid says that to another kid?! I wanna know what kind of sick household he’s being raised in, the little psychopath!”

“Poor Kiyoko,” Mori sighed. “Love injures children more than it injures adults…”

 _That’s true_ , Kuroo thought slowly, looking down at his lap sadly. _It’s awful seeing kids cry and be upset over something; I remember Dad wiping my tears off at the funeral, even though he looked like he wanted to cry as well. It’s the same as when your friend is in pain, but somehow different—seeing a child experiencing these things makes you wonder why the world is so cruel. And…I’ll be experiencing that soon enough, with Shindo…_

Kiyoko never returned to dinner, but after several minutes Akaashi reappeared, lips tight and expression fallen; he released a deep sigh as he walked towards the dinner table, laying a hand on Bokuto’s shoulder.

“You wanna give it a shot?” Keiji asked the alpha, who immediately sat up straighter. “She won’t listen to me because I’m an omega; my words don’t mean very much when it comes to topics like this, since I don’t know how she feels…”

“Oh—okay,” Koutarou nodded eagerly, standing up proudly. Kuroo had to wonder when his best friend became such an adult. “Seriously, though, Kaashi; what kind of _idiot_ would reject Kiyoko? She’s a total bombshell, like you! I just don’t get it…”

“I could understand more if Atsumu rejected her, but instead of doing that he humiliated her by saying he doesn’t want to be with a girl alpha,” Akaashi sighed again, rubbing his temples tiredly. “I didn’t think I’d have to deal with this until she at least got into middle school.”

“Don’t worry about a thing, Akaashi!” Bokuto assured him confidently, racing towards Kiyoko’s bedroom. “I’ve got it all under control! The ace will save the day again!”

“Again?” Kuroo questioned as Bokuto slammed the bedroom door shut behind him, loud noises following the obnoxious act.

“He comforted Kiyoko the other day when her TV show didn’t end well.”

“Ah.”

“I’m really sorry about this, Kuroo-san; I knew something had happened with Atsumu, but I didn’t press the issue because I didn’t want to upset her,” Akaashi explained. “Sorry you had to be caught in the middle.”

“It’s not a problem, Keiji,” Mori waved off the apology. “We’ll help you clean up and then be on our way so you can attend to Kiyoko-chan.”

“I appreciate that.”

Tetsurou and Mori helped Akaashi clean the table off, accepting most of the leftovers without much of a fight (that damn perfect Akaashi Keiji could really cook up a storm), bidding the omega farewell and hoping his night would turn around for the better. Kuroo remembered Bokuto telling him about how Kiyoko didn’t get upset very often, but when she did the angst spells usually lasted an entire week before life returned to normal; how long would Shindo sulk amongst his sorrows when he was her age, Tetsurou wondered? As he and Mori exited the apartment complex, Kuroo suddenly stopped and leaned his back against the exterior of the building, prompting his father to stop a few steps ahead. Akaashi had looked so torn-up when he exited Kiyoko’s room, those usually collected midnight blue eyes packed full of uncertainty and confusion…what evil could pull such emotion out of Akaashi like that, was capable of pulling violence out of Bokuto, the lovable owl man from Fukurodani?

“He’s going to feel pain,” Kuroo whispered into the night.

“…Who will, Tetsurou?”

“Our baby—he’s going to suffer just like Kiyoko, and he’ll be in pain…other people will try and hurt him, and he’ll cry and feel terrible—and…and _I_ forced him into this life,” The omega whimpered, heart beginning to race at his own selfishness. “I’m the one who forced him into this life, and all because of _what_? Because I wanted to sleep with Suguru? Because I thought drunken sex would make my problems go away? That’s my pathetic reason for bringing an innocent child into this shitty world that will chew him up and spit him out?”

“Tetsu,” Mori chided gently, though it went unheard. “Don’t think like th—”

“What if he gets bullied, Dad? What if someone hits him or teases him? What excuse do I have for forcing him to experience that? What happens when he wants to run away? What bullshit can I tell him to make him stay, even though I know there’s only more pain ahead?” Kuroo cried, tears springing up. “Why did I _do_ that? Why did I have to cause him pain?!”

Tears overwhelmed Tetsurou at the mere miserable idea and he succumbed to his cries, covering his face and bawling into his hands; every hateful thing the omega had ever said about himself reminded him of his own selfishness, rightfully accusing him of sabotaging Shindo’s life before he could even be born. Kuroo begged himself to answer, relentlessly asking himself why he did such a thing just because he was unsatisfied with his own life—why did he have to ruin someone else’s, too? How could he play such a cruel trick on innocent little Shindo? Kuroo felt himself be pulled in by Mori, immediately wrapping his arms around the only thing he could feel at the moment.

“Oh Tetsu…” Mori sighed, rubbing his son’s back in comfort as the omega heaved through sobs. “Don’t put so much weight on your shoulders. Yes…it’s true that children will grow and experience some heartbreak in their lifetime, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t happy times as well. Your son already has two parents and an entire wild band of distant family members that love him dearly—he’ll know he’s not alone in his pain when he stops and looks around for a moment. Besides…my son is in pain right now, and I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

Kuroo nodded into his shoulder, still sniffling and hiccupping over each cry.

“Your pain is my pain, but sometimes the only thing you can do is just be there—blaming yourself doesn’t do any good. Trust me on that one.”

The omega leaned back and tried looking at Mori through his hurricane of tears, wiping them off carelessly as he realized further the kind of pain his father must have been in at this very moment—it was the same thing. Mori watching him sob and blame himself for being a terrible person…he probably felt a lot of agony as well.

“Y-You…You blame yourself for this stuff, t-too?” Kuroo squeaked.

“Of course I do. I honestly haven’t slept well since finding out about your pregnancy,” Mori chuckled good-naturedly, patting his son’s head affectionately. “You think I didn’t feel guilty knowing you probably wouldn’t have gotten depressed and drunk if your mother was still around?”

“ _Dad_ ,” Tetsurou shook his head sadly. “Y-You shouldn’t—”

“Exactly. I shouldn’t think like that. I can’t change the past, can I?” The alpha confirmed. “I can’t change anything that’s happened so far; but I can do something about the future. So, instead of wasting time placing blame and hating myself, I do my best to feed the future. Understand, Tetsu?”

Kuroo nodded his head again, wiping at the hot tears rolling down his cheeks as he tried recovering, now feeling guilty for making Mori feel badly.

“Good boy. Take deep breaths, alright? We don’t want you hyperventilating or anything.”

It took Tetsurou a solid ten-minutes to regain control of his emotions, and while there still remained a small sliver of anger at himself, he took Mori’s words to heart, telling himself there was no changing the past and no use placing blame on anyone. Kuroo was very much pregnant—that wouldn’t change until the spring day came when little baby Shindo was born. It was going to happen, so appropriate accommodations would be needed.

“Can—Can we go home, now?” The journalist sniffled tiredly. “I don’t want Bo to see me crying again…”

“Sure thing,” Mori nodded, throwing an arm around his son’s shoulder. “We might have to stop at a car wash first, though; I think there’s a few specs of dirt on the Acura. We don’t want that mud to damage the paint coat or anything.”

“F-Fine…just don’t accidentally go to the one on 42nd street,” Kuroo warned weakly. “Bokuto made that mistake and came back with pictures of himself with half-naked girls. Akaashi was pissed.”

“Haha! Typical Koutarou, always getting himself into trouble. At least it was fun trouble, am I right?”

The pair finally made it to the Acura, at which point Kuroo hugged Mori tightly one last time before they got in, trying to squeeze his torso so tightly you would be able to feel the love through their connection.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Sure thing, Tetsurou,” Mori smiled. “Anything I can do to help.”

 

After the unnecessarily dramatic dinner at Bokuto’s, Kuroo was looking forward to going home until he remembered that Suguru still wouldn’t be back until tomorrow night; that triggered another wave of anxiety within the omega, and once Mori was settled in on the couch Tetsurou buried himself in the bed, hoping he would never have to face the light of day again. He had hardly been lounging for a minute before his cell phone began ringing, signaling a call from Suguru himself; Kuroo accepted immediately, answering quicker than ever before.

“Hey,” He sighed into the phone, peeking out from under the bedsheets. “What’s up?”

“ _Just at the hotel_ ,” Daishou replied, rummaging around in the background. “ _Did your dad make it there okay?”_

“Yeah.”

_“How are you and the baby? Feeling okay?”_

“Well, I ate too much and Kiyoko’s experienced her first heartbreak, so I’m not too chirpy tonight.”

“ _Heartbreak?”_ Suguru repeated _. “Kiyoko?”_

“Yeah, some jerk at daycare—Bokuto threatened to beat the snot out of him.”

“ _Haha…it’s good that they have someone dramatic in their lives_ ,” Suguru chuckled, unknowingly easing Kuroo’s fried nerves. “ _Any idiot who’s lucky enough to have Akaashi’s offspring like them should be grateful_.”

“And what about our offspring?” Tetsurou teased. “Will that person be lucky to have Shindo?”

_“No.”_

Kuroo held his breath, not expecting such a blunt, non-arrogant response from the chaebol.

“ _I won’t let Shindo go out with anyone until he’s at least twenty-five,”_ Daishou continued, going into overprotective dad mode _. “Maybe thirty. And when he does date, we’ll be regulating their dates and keeping tabs on their whereabouts; there will be no spending the night until they’ve dated for at least a year or so—wow…that sounded really yakuza-like…”_

Kuroo laughed lightly at that, thinking he was going crazy when he caught a fresh whiff of Suguru’s scent amongst the sheets; a different kind of fabric brushed against his arm, and the omega dug around for a second before finding one of Daishou’s t-shirts; _he must have forgotten to put it in his bag,_ Kuroo thought, quietly holding the shirt up to his face in hopes of the scent calming his heart down completely. When it worked, Tetsurou recalled his earlier conversation with Mori, those words he admitted concerning Suguru…

“I really miss you, Dai-chan,” Kuroo said softly, making Suguru go quiet on the other end. He added the Dai-chan instead of saying the alpha’s name to ease the domestic feeling of the sentence. He couldn’t be _too_ bold. “It’s been so long since we’ve been apart that I’m starting to feel weird after-effects of you not being here…you know, with Shindo and I.”

“… _Yeah_ ,” Daishou agreed lowly. “ _I miss you guys, too. It’s weird not having your scent beside me at all hours of the day_.”

“Well, to be fair, you have a pair of underwear I stuck in your bag before you left.”

_“Those are yours?!”_

“Hehe—yup. A little something so you wouldn’t forget about me and hook-up with some omega desperate to bang a yakuza heir.”

“ _Shut up_ ,” The alpha mumbled, though Kuroo could tell he was smiling. “ _Are you going to bed soon?”_

“Probably…” _Dad said to just tell him how I feel. But is it right to do it over the phone?_ “Hey, Daishou?”

_“Hm?”_

“I need…to talk to you when you get home,” Tetsurou mumbled. “It’s nothing bad, just…I want to clarify something. Okay?”

“… _Okay_ ,” Suguru agreed after a small pause.

“Good. Okay.”

“ _Well, I’ll let you and Shindo get to sleep, then. Can I say goodnight to him?”_

“Over the phone?”

“ _Yeah_.”

Kuroo rolled his eyes but moved the phone so it was a few inches away from his bulging tummy under the sheets.

“ _Goodnight, Shindo! Daddy loves you and will be back before you know it, so don’t worry!”_

“You’re such an embarrassing father,” Tetsurou cringed, though his cheeks were blushing. “I already feel sorry for Shindo…”

“ _I’ll accept your teasing today only because I can’t smack the back of your head.”_

“Hehe…goodnight, Dai-chan. See you soon; don’t be such a chaebol during your business stuff.”

“ _I’ll try not to, I guess_ ,” Suguru replied. “ _Sleep well. I’ll see you soon, alright?”_

“Yeah; see you soon. Goodnight.”

When Tetsurou hung-up and cuddled back into his cocoon, now equipped with Daishou’s t-shirt, he was sure he had never been more miserably happy than he was right at this moment. He was bloated, still slightly hated himself, felt bad for Kiyoko and for his dad, and yet…when Suguru spoke to him in that weirdly gentle voice, the omega couldn’t help but feel at peace. There was a weird aching in his chest at not having been scented for almost an entire day, and yeah, the apartment seemed empty without a bratty chaebol running around, but…it was almost like the bad stuff disappeared with Suguru’s amusement at Bokuto’s parenting methods. This sensation solidified Tetsurou’s feelings even more, forcing him into a deep slumber caused by stress and relief in a strange form.

 

So far, Kuroo’s first weekend without Suguru had been pretty awful; but he slept soundly anyways, hoping when he awoke, the alpha would have returned to he and Shindo.

~~~-~~~

Mori kept his son busy for the remainder of the weekend by helping plan the baby shower, set for the beginning of March; Kuroo wanted all their presents to be sorted before Shindo arrived, and he and Suguru also needed to figure out what they could put in their storage room downstairs in order to have enough room for the baby’s arrival. One corner of their living room was an utter mess, parenting books scattered and disorganized papers everywhere, stacked on top of Christmas gifts and boxes of baby clothing they had already received. Mori did his best to help Tetsurou sort everything, and they managed to distract themselves until Sunday evening arrived—Kuroo was taking a break on the couch as Mori did the dishes, the omega eagerly looking at his phone while rubbing his rather restless stomach. Ever since Suguru left Shindo had been relentlessly kicking and upsetting Kuroo’s tummy, and he was getting rather sick of going to the bathroom eight times a night.

“He still hasn’t texted…” Kuroo said to himself, scrolling through his latest conversation with Daishou from over an hour ago. “He said they were only an hour away; shouldn’t he be here by now?”

“Haven’t you ever heard of Tokyo traffic?” Mori reminded him from the kitchen.

“Suguru’s not that unlucky; he rarely ever runs into traffic because he’s a yakuza heir.”

“Woah! For real?! I had no idea the Suguru’s were part of a yakuza clan!”

“Well, he’s not actually—well… _actually_ , now that I think about it…”

Kuroo’s yakuza theory was interrupted by his cell phone buzzing, signaling a text from the snake himself.

 **sugar daddy suguru** : _just pulled up_    _(5:29 p.m.)_

The journalist launched himself off the couch, bulging stomach and all, hurrying to throw on his coat as Mori watched in amusement, leaning against the wall as Kuroo slowed his pace while putting his shoes on, not wanting to throw himself face first into the floor from Shindo’s momentum.

“I take it he’s home?”

“Yeah,” Tetsurou nodded eagerly, fingers fumbling with the laces. Why was he bothering with laces? That little snake bastard was home! There was no time for laces! “Don’t mention our little conversation to him, okay, Dad? I think I can handle it from here. Probably. Just—don’t say anything, okay?”

“You got it, Tetsu,” Mori promised, opening the apartment door for him. “…Can I at least suggest the idea of putting a ring on it?”

“WHAT?! No, Dad!!!”

“Haha! Just keeping you on your toes,” The alpha winked, getting a smack on the arm from his son. “Don’t forget your scarf; it’s pretty cold outside.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Kuroo couldn’t really focus on the terrifying idea of his father telling Suguru to marry him as he speed walked as fast as he could without injuring himself or Shindo, barreling down the hallway and quickly pressing the elevator buttons; no way was he taking on that brutal staircase right now. Not when Suguru was so close but so far away…throughout the entire weekend Tetsurou’s body had been aching from lack of stimulant, t-shirts and lingering scent of Suguru not enough to keep him well. He couldn’t even find it in him to be embarrassed by the fact. He just wanted to see that stupid chaebol wearing his fancy coats holding that fancy bag over his shoulder as his stupidly pretty chestnut hair sat messier than usual atop his stupidly proud head, slightly dark circles underneath his eyelids from staying up late with his rowdy classmates after a long day of observing meetings and taking notes…yeah. Kuroo missed the little bastard a bit too much because, unfortunately, he had somehow fallen in love with Daishou along this crazy journey to parenthood. He thought of nothing as the elevator slowly moved downwards, only able to focus on the agonizing sensation of sensing Suguru’s presence, but not having him near enough where his body felt some form of release. After an eternity of waiting, the elevator doors opened, allowing Kuroo to hurry out into the lobby and burst outside, a rush of freezing winter air striking against his cheeks—but he didn’t care. His hazel eyes hurriedly searched the parking lot, locking onto a large bus parked on the other end. The doors were just being open, or maybe closed, Kuroo couldn’t tell, and he frantically looked for a stray passenger strolling through the snowy lot; when a moment passed and the omega didn’t see anyone, he wondered if maybe Suguru had been lying around returning, maybe he wasn’t coming back at all and had taken Kuroo’s advice about finding another omega—

“Kuroo!” A voice called suddenly. “Hey!”

Tetsurou lost his breath after a particularly cold gust of air cut through his lungs, eyes finally landing on a handsome figure making its way across the parking lot, hurriedly jogging in the journalist’s direction. The image of Daishou was the exact one Kuroo had pictures only moments earlier, and his heart sped-up drastically when he finally caught that familiar alpha scent drifting through the harsh winter wind. The world around Kuroo became blurry, blocking out every sharp sensation and leaving only the warmth around his stomach area and the heat rushing to his cheeks despite the best attempts of mother nature—Daishou spoke when he got about ten-feet away from Tetsurou and his unborn child.

“What are you doing out here, idiot?” Suguru greeted in a worried hiss. “It’s negative fifteen degrees and you’re sta—”

“Daishou!”

Without any shame or guilt, Tetsurou threw his arms around the chaebol, spinning them both around as a gasp escaped his mouth upon their scents immediately clashing with the other’s; Suguru’s shock stalled itself for a minute, allowing him to drop his bag and grab onto Kuroo tightly, feeling their son between them as he roughly began scenting the journalist without so much as a second thought. It was freezing cold out, Daishou was exhausted from a long weekend with a bunch of loud college students and stuffy business meetings, his shampoo spilled all over his bag and the motel they stayed at didn’t have fresh donuts despite what the brochure said—but all of that irritation melted away like the snow underneath their feet as the pair stood clutching each other outside their apartment building, forcing those familiar scents onto the other like their lives depended on it.

“I missed you,” Daishou confessed, breathing into the omega’s hair. “I missed you and Shindo…”

“You can’t leave me ever again, okay?” Kuroo panted, burying his head further into a surprised Suguru’s shoulder. “Never again. I’ll kill you if you leave me again.”

“Oh…okay. I’ll…do my best, I guess…”

“Shut up.”

Tetsurou squeezed the alpha as hard as possible, so relieved by Suguru’s same old scent he could have started bawling; he almost did after he leaned away and a painful gust of icy wind shot across his face, after which Daishou quickly grabbed his bag and ushered them inside, trying to warm Kuroo’s numbed skin as they entered the elevator. Kuroo really wasn’t in the mood for talking, continuing with his nuzzling and cuddling into the chaebol’s collarbone area, but Suguru didn’t take those hints and kept asking disgustingly concerned questions.

“Your dad hasn’t left yet, has he? He isn’t leaving until six, right?” Daishou confirmed, the other boy nodding quickly. “How’s Shindo doing? You didn’t accidentally reveal his name to your dad, did you? You didn’t really answer any of my questions when we texted and called…”

“Remember when I told you to shut up?”

“If you’d answer my questions I would.”

“We’re both _fine_ , Suguru,” Kuroo mumbled lightly, closing his eyes as he inhaled a whiff of Daishou’s fancy shampoo smell. “But if you can help it, don’t go on anymore stupid business trips this school year—Shindo hasn’t stopped beating the hell out of me and making me sick since you left.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that over the phone?” Suguru asked with wide eyes, ignoring how the elevator stopped and opened for them to exit. “I was really worried, you know…”

“I know.”

Daishou looked over at Kuroo, who finally straightened up enough where they could see each other’s expressions; Suguru did look very tired, but those snakeish eyes were ever so lively and confrontational, and the chaebol was glad to see that aside from a bit of fatigue, Kuroo’s hazel cat eyes hadn’t changed, either. Would their son have his eyes, Suguru wondered? He hoped they would. He really hoped there would be two sets of those charming, cunning hazel orbs to torment him day and night, to ask for stuff they didn’t need and hypnotize him into giving them more…

“There you two are!” Mori’s voice suddenly said, the other alpha appearing in front of the opened elevator doors. Kuroo and Daishou didn’t immediately separate from their close pose, staring at Mori in confusion before smiling weakly. “I was afraid something bad had happened. Come, come!”

Suguru took the lead and grabbed Kuroo’s hand, leading them out and following Mori down the hallway as their scents became familiar with each other once again, bouncing off each wall until they found their way back to the appropriate individual.

“Nice to see you again, Mori.”

“You’re looking well, Daishou—hey, is it true that your family is part of the yakuza?”

The chaebol rolled his eyes in Tetsurou’s direction.

“No, it’s not true.”

“I knew that little punk was lying; anyway, how was your trip? Did you have fun?”

“It was okay,” Suguru shrugged, setting his bag down in the entryway and hurrying to help Kuroo take his coat off, much to Mori’s amusement. “Your gifts are in my bag somewhere.”

“You bought us gifts?!” Tetsurou exclaimed, wildly tearing through the alpha’s bag in search of his present.

“It’s only customary that you bring gifts back for your friends and family when returning from a trip,” Daishou informed him. “I bought something for the baby’s room, as well—hey, don’t open that one, it’s not yours!”

Mori laughed to himself as Suguru wrestled a blue present from the omega’s hands, handing the object to Mori before snatching away an unwrapped snowglobe that would later be put on one of Shindo’s shelves; Kuroo finally found his gift and scurried to the couch to tear off the wrapping, pulling Daishou along with him. Mori stood by quietly, thinking deeply about something while his son gushed over a new set of mittens, cuddling closer to the younger alpha whenever he thought they were too far apart. Certainly, there had been a strong change between these two college students, a type of change Mori couldn’t put a name on but enjoyed none the less.

“Dad, did you see my mittens? Aren’t they so cool?!”

“They’re not _cool_ , they’re warm.”

“There better not be snake skin on the insides.”

“Why would someone make mittens out of snake skin?”

“Because snake scales keep their insides safe from extreme temperatures, Suguru.”

“How would you know?”

“Middle school biology class, loser. Didn’t you pay attention?”

“I was too busy improving my volleyball skills.”

“Shut up,” Kuroo laughed, shoving Suguru’s arm playfully, eyes shining in a way Mori had only ever seen a few times before. “Thanks for these; my other ones were getting a little worn out.”

“I know, that’s why I bought some. The cashier said she bought some of the same pair and they’ve worked really well for her, but I was in there an hour because I didn’t know what color you would like best.”

“Red is always a good pick.”

“Yeah. They go well with your skin tone.”

“Well,” Mori interrupted with a smile, laying a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I’ll be going, now.”

“Eh? So soon?”

“Yeah, I better get back to my bachelor buddies at the garage; they’ll want to hear all the new gossip about you two.”

“Take some leftovers with you, Mori-san,” Suguru suggested, helping Kuroo stand so they could walk his father to the door.

“There aren’t any leftovers in this house, I can assure you,” The omega snickered. “Our son ate them all because he’s a greedy little blood sucker like you.”

“I’ve got plenty of leftovers at home; don’t worry about me.”

Mori slid into his winter jacket and grabbed the bag he packed, heading towards the door closely followed by Suguru and Tetsurou, who suddenly felt bad for brushing his father aside in favor of his alpha—and since when had he started referring to the snake as _his alpha_? What in the actual fuck? Mori felt no ill feelings, however, trying to disguise his grin as Daishou struggled hiding the fact that he just wanted to wrap Kuroo in a hug and scent him like no tomorrow.

“Thank you for keeping Tetsurou company for me, Mori-san,” The chaebol bowed lowly. “I appreciate you taking the time off to take care of him.”

“Of course; if you need anything else, don’t hesitate to call.”

“I’ll walk with you down to the lobby, Dad.”

“No no, you stay inside with Daishou-kun,” Mori waved off, bundling up underneath his scarf. “I’ll open my present when I get home—thanks for everything!”

Tetsurou felt a little confused at his father’s quick getaway, accepting his hug half-heartedly and listening intently as the older alpha whispered in his ear quickly and quietly.

“ _Tell him_.”

Mori smiled at him gently as he backed away, bringing Suguru in for a hug before bidding them farewell, hurrying away from the door just in case the boys had jumped on each other the second he was out of sight; while Mori approved of their slightly dysfunctional relationship, he didn’t exactly want to hear his son being ravished by a possible member of the Japanese yakuza. Daishou and Kuroo watched until Mori was out of sight, shutting the door behind them and inhaling when their scents rushed back together after two whole days being separated.

“He didn’t have to leave so quickly,” Daishou said thoughtfully, following Kuroo back to the couch. “He could have eaten dinner with us, at least.”

“Eh, we’ve been eating all day; I’m sure he just wanted to get home to have a break from my whiney ass,” Tetsurou covered up, plopping down right up against the alpha. Seriously, though, how did Suguru look good in sweaters even when they were wrinkled and hadn’t been washed over his weekend of fun? “I’m gunna wear these mittens all the time; thanks again for buying them. You really didn’t have to…”

“Of course I did. You’re—…the mother of my child and roommate.” Daishou coughed to rid the air of lingering awkwardness, looking around in hopes of finding a distraction from the way Kuroo was unapologetically cuddling up to his side, still scenting him like the world was about to end. “So; what did you two do while I was away?”

“Mm…ate a lot. Finished planning the baby shower, watched TV,” The omega listed off. “Talked about you…”

“All terrible things, I’m sure.”

“Duh, Salazar,” Kuroo giggled. He leaned his head upwards to lock eyes with the green-eyed chaebol, staring at him for a moment, silently contemplating whether or not this was a good time to talk about _them_ … “How was your trip? Did you get a lot of research for your project?”

“Yeah. It was really exhausting, though,” Suguru sighed deeply, though his current relaxation pose contradicted that. “Business is so personal. As much as I hate to say it, I’m pretty much over the entire concept—and I still have another year to go in my degree. Great.”

“It’ll be okay; by the end of this year you’ll have Shindo to relax you, and he’ll light a fire under your ass that’ll make you work harder than ever so you can finish-up and spend more time with him.”

“I guess you’re right,” Daishou agreed, wondering when the omega had become so clingy. Not that he really minded so much after his long weekend. In fact, warming up to someone like Kuroo was the best way to recover from a class trip. “But before I tackle that project, I need a long bath and a Korean face mask.”

Suguru unceremoniously let Tetsurou plop onto the couch cushion as he stood and hurried towards the bathroom, sending a smirk back in the journalist’s direction that nearly sent Kuroo’s heart into arrythmia. He wouldn’t be beaten however, and later ambushed the business major in the middle of his bath to snatch his own Korean face mask, which then resulted in the entire bathroom somehow getting wet, which then resulted in an hour of cleaning while Suguru wrapped his hair up in a towel, which then made Tetsurou laugh so hard he nearly peed his pants, at which point Daishou declared that it was best if they both went to bed early. While laying beside each other for the first time in a few nights, the omega finally felt like he could breathe again, and cuddled into Suguru’s damp t-shirt like it was pure instinct. A flutter went through Daishou’s heart, heart aching worse when a few words were whispered in the dark of their bedroom, Shindo sending a kick into Tetsurou’s stomach at the same time.

“ _I’m glad you’re home_.”

“Yeah,” Daishou hummed weakly into Kuroo’s mess of hair. “…It’s good to be home.”

 

_February 19 th_

By the middle of February, Tetsurou still hadn’t confessed his feelings to the chaebol. He didn’t have a good excuse, but the one he stuck with was that Daishou kept distracting him with his handsome tendencies; it’s difficult thinking of anything clearly when he strutted around the apartment in his turtle neck sweaters and fancy pants and shiny shoes…per Kuroo’s request, Suguru had hardly left the apartment after his business trip unless he had work or class, choosing to stay beside the omega and their unborn child as a source of comfort; if anything, him being gone for a weekend had nudged them even closer than usual, especially when it came to sleeping on the same bed. Suguru was pretty sure he hadn’t been so snuggled up to someone since he was a boy and crept into his parent’s bed whenever he got scared about something. The conversation never came up, however, their relationship continuing its sly way of bettering itself while they weren’t paying any attention. School was going well for both boys, and on a quiet Saturday morning they sat down on the couch together before Daishou went off to work and did their homework like regular college students; Suguru was proud of them for both getting so much accomplished amongst the whole pregnancy thing, glad neither of them decided to drop out when they found out all those months ago, though the back of his brain was still wondering whether or not he really wanted to be a business major anymore.

“How’s yours going, Dai-chan?” Kuroo asked absentmindedly, not looking up from his book.

“Almost done. You?”

“Getting there. I’ll probably finish while you’re at work.”

“Good.”

“Ow!” The omega exclaimed suddenly, dropping his book to lay both hands on his stomach. “What the fuck was th… _owwww_ ow ow!”

“What’s wrong?!” Suguru jumped up immediately, kneeling in front of Tetsurou worriedly. “Where does it hurt?!”

“Oh my _god_ ,” Kuroo groaned in agony, falling onto the nearest pillow as his eyes scrunched shut, surging cramps taking over below his stomach. “What in the _hell_ —”

“You must be having contractions.”

“What?! Already?!”

“False labor contractions usually occur during the second and third trimesters,” Suguru explained, quoting from one of the many books he read. “They prepare your body for actual labor at the nine-month mark.”

“Well they fucking hurt!”

“Just imagine what _real_ labor will be like.”

Kuroo shot a deadly glare the alpha’s way, grasping at his lower abdomen as if that would help lessen the pain; Daishou did his best to scent him comfortably, but the pain didn’t cease until a few minutes later, at which point Tetsurou was sweating and panting tiredly. Suguru had to be at work in twenty-minutes, but the thought was brushed aside in favor of his dramatic omega and unborn son. He hurriedly fetched a glass of water and an ice pack, bringing the objects to Kuroo before he had a chance to request them, ensuring the journalist was sitting in a more comfortable position where Shindo wouldn’t be completely pressing against his aching bladder.

“Maybe I should stay home today,” The chaebol wondered out-loud, green eyes looking up at Kuroo with great concern. “They can go without a receptionist for one day.”

“No, I’m…I’m fine, now,” Tetsurou huffed, licking his parched lips (a distraction for Suguru). “I’m really tired, now, so I’ll probably just lay down for a while…”

“Still, you shouldn’t be alone if you’ve started having contractions. I would hate for you to be in a lot of pain while also being alone.”

“Eh; I’m in pain anyway, living with a snake like you, so what’s the difference if I add a little more irritation to the picture?”

Suguru grumbled under his breath, but his worried expression didn’t change as his slender fingers came up to brush a few strands of messy black hair off Kuroo’s forehead. Sure, the chaebol did shit like that pretty often nowadays, but it still made Tetsurou stop and stare at him with admiration, silently wondering how he had held in his developing feelings for the serpent all this time. His life really was turning into a K-Drama. Kuroo could only sit and hope theirs had a happy ending.

“Be that way, then,” Daishou sighed, standing to go grab his coat and scarf. “Just because you don’t want to seem desperate…”

“Desperate for _you_?” _I totally am_. “Don’t kid yourself, chaebol.”

“Don’t call me if you’re in pain, then.”

“I won’t.”

“You will because you’re a whiney baby.”

“Are not.”

“Are too.”

“Shut up.”

“Okay,” The alpha smirked, happy he got Kuroo riled-up and back to his usual self. “But I’ll shut you up, first.”

Before Tetsurou could panic over the idea of kissing Suguru, the little slimeball planted a long, lingering goodbye kiss onto his lips, successfully getting them both to shut up. Those painful contractions were all but forgotten as Daishou pulled away, letting his eyes flutter open only to see Kuroo’s shut peacefully, attempting to recover from the sudden act of romance. Suguru thought he looked like a dorky goddess, what with his glowing skin and random ice pack held against his burning forehead. Why did he miss the sight so much when he went to work?

“…I’ll see you tonight, then,” Daishou cleared his throat, straightening up as Kuroo finally forced his eyes open. “Seriously, though, call me if you have another contraction, okay? Put the ambulance on speed dial, too.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” The drama queen waved off, still stuck in la la land after their kiss. “I’ll call Bokuto before I call an ambulance to come take me away.”

“I’m being totally serious—if you feel any more pain, I want you to call me, understood?”

“Understood, my lord.”

Suguru rolled his eyes and adjusted his scarf, grabbing the Acura keys before giving one final wave before exiting the apartment, after which Kuroo moaned and made a few weird noises while squirming around on the couch, unable to profess his emotions in a civil way. This whole “falling in love” bit was too much for a pregnant omega to handle. _Fucking snake boy_ , Tetsurou thought grumpily, burying his head into the couch cushion. _Fuck love. I don’t need love when I have Shindo and Bokuto! But…the sex is so damn good…and he smells nice…and he has cool clothes…_

_Ugh._

Daishou’s day didn’t go any smoother once he got to work. He was thoroughly distracted by images of a sleepy Kuroo, constantly worried when he didn’t see any new texts from the omega and couldn’t keep himself focused on a single task. His co-workers were concerned about the high voice he used while answering phone calls, but feared confronting the alpha because they had never seen such a vulnerable side of him before; who knew what terrifying creature was waiting to pounce behind that mask? Suguru tripped several times while dropping off notes at other desks, stubbed his toe, bit his tongue during lunch time, almost started singing in the restroom…after the last incident he came to the sudden conclusion that Kuroo was the cause of this madness and set to put an end to it by calling him and asking him out. Of course, this plan was shut down almost immediately by his better conscious, but Suguru’s light-hearted tendencies did trigger him enough where he began searching his phone contacts for people good with advice, and after a screaming fit in his car, Suguru decided on the number of Mori Kuroo.

 _What the hell is wrong with me?_ The chaebol wondered while running a hand through his hair stressfully. _I acted like a moron all day and now I’m planning on confessing to Kuroo? Jeez…Shindo better come before I blow a fuse…_

Mori answered on the first ring, mechanical noises echoing in the background.

“ _Hey Daishou-kun! What’s up?_ ”

“Good evening, Mori; I’m sorry to bother you so much, but I was wondering if you had a minute to talk about something.”

 _“Anything for you, Dai_ ,” Kuroo Sr. said. “ _Hold on one second, I’ll go someplace quieter_.”

Suguru wasn’t sure why that response almost brought tears to his eyes, but it did, and he had a quick minute to get his shit together while Mori found a quieter spot to talk.

_“Alright; what can I do for you today?”_

“Well…I…” Daishou exhaled deeply, brain a total scramble and suddenly remembering what it was like grinding against Tetsurou in the backseat of the Acura… “I was hoping for some advice about your son.”

_“Ahhh—is he refusing to vacuum again? Because I had a talk with him about that a while ago.”_

“No no, he’s actually been good about that, but…it’s—I…I actually…”

_We promised we’d raise Shindo together. We promised we’d push away any hatred we had left for each other and raise him with a solid family. We promised that, but I want more. I can’t go on tip-toeing around him, hiding my feelings by being an asshole and avoiding the conversation. Shindo will be here soon, and I don’t just want him to remember how happy things were—_

_I want US to remember how happy things were._

“I’m pretty sure I’m in love with your son,” The chaebol confessed quietly. “And I’m terrified of how he’ll react if I tell him.”

Mori was frighteningly silent on the other end for a long moment; then, a low, suspicious laugh echoed through the receiver, confusing Suguru to the max. Mori wasn’t drinking at work, was he? That didn’t seem to fit his character, but it was possible…Daisuke sometimes got like that during New Year’s Eve parties, going on a sobbing rant about how much he loved Nintendo games, etc. etc. As much as Daishou hated to admit it, he was his father’s son. Nintendo was awesome. The only difference between drunk Suguru’s was youth—when Daisuke was drunk, he cried about childhood dreams. When Daishou was drunk, he got mopey and slept with high school enemies. The young alpha wondered if Mori was like Kuroo when _he_ got wasted.

 _“Well, Daishou,”_ Mori began, as if the entire ordeal amused him. “ _Your best bet is to go home right now and tell him that yourself.”_

“W-What? Right _now_?”

_“I think that’s for the best. Let it all out before you both explode.”_

“Both explode…what do you mean?” Suguru begged into the phone, feeling a headache coming on.

 _“If you haven’t noticed by now, son, you and Kuroo have both been acting a little crazy lately; you knocked him up, the baby’s coming soon, you’re sleeping in the same bed and ‘sleep together’ often…something’s gotta give, you know?”_ Kuroo’s father continued. _“Go home, tell him how you feel and I guarantee you’ll be cuddling in each other’s arms tonight when the sun goes down.”_

Daishou couldn’t believe what was happening. He avoided calling Bokuto and Akaashi because he knew this was what they would say, but to hear such a simple solution from Mori? That was unheard of! If he wanted to be told how stupid he was being he would’ve just ran over to his father’s office. At least Kuroo was partly to blame, but seriously—it couldn’t be that easy. No way that messy haired cat felt the same way about him. They were natural enemies with a history of snide comments and rude insults tied together in one volleyball loving package. There was no way he could just march home after a humiliating day at work and tell Tetsurou he was in _love_ with him.

_“Good luck, Daishou! See you later!”_

“W-Wait, I don—!”

_Beep beep beep_

“Unbelievable!” Suguru screeched, tossing his cell phone in the passenger seat wildly. “Why is admitting my feelings like some teenage dweeb the only solution, here?! Fuck that!”

Daishou put the Acura in drive and began tearing through the snowy Tokyo streets, barreling home without realizing how dangerous his parking skills were when he was in a weird mood; he ignored how he left the headlights on, ignored how one of his shoes fell off as he ran up the staircase, ignored how startled Kuroo looked when he barged into the apartment covered in snowflakes, eyes sparkling with determination as he stopped in front of where the omega was cuddled into the couch under the quilt he got for Christmas. This was him—Kuroo Tetsurou. Seven months pregnant, drinking coco, doing his journalism homework, black hair a total mess, maternity sweater a dorky Easter green color, hazel eyes confused and curious…the same middle blocker who ruined Daishou’s chance at going to National’s, the same omega who got half-drunk at a party and left bitter and depressed, the same hot young college student who could ride dick like there was no tomorrow and still managed to look innocently stupid while doing so.

 _Kuroo_.

“Do you remember when you lost to Karasuno at National’s?” Suguru panted.

“Um…where’s your other shoe, dude?” Tetsurou replied instead, looking down at the chaebol’s wet sock in concern.

“Do you remember?”

“…Yeah, I remember. Why?”

“After the game, instead of crying and getting pissed like I did whenever I lost, you picked your teammates up and smiled like you wouldn’t have it any other way,” The alpha continued, replaying those memories over and over again. “That was the first time I realized how cool you looked in your volleyball uniform. I didn’t start liking you the night we slept together and accidentally got ourselves into this mess—I liked you years before then, when we were just dorky high schoolers whose GPA’s were higher than our dicks when we were horny at two in the morning.”

A laugh almost escaped Kuroo’s throat, but he was too caught-up in the situation to really react, staring at Suguru with wide eyes as the alpha dropped onto his knees, taking Tetsurou’s hands in his own.

“I know my timing is bad, given how Shindo will be born in a few months, but…but I…” Daishou struggled with his words, swallowing a gulp down as he locked eyes with the omega. “I can’t…I don’t _want_ to keep pretending I’m not in love with you anymore, Kuroo.”

 _Am I dreaming?_ The journalist wondered, mouth hovering open stupidly as his heart sped-up five beats. _I must be dreaming. Either that or I’m in a psychiatric hospital for delusional fruitcakes. Yeah, that’s it…only in a psychiatric hospital would Suguru Daishou be confessing his undying love for me._

“I’m not saying this because you’re pregnant with my child,” The chaebol went on desperately, actual _tears_ forming in his eyes that made Kuroo want to burst into sobs. “I’m not saying this because we’ve had this friends with benefits type of thing going on for the past few months—I’m…I’m saying it because that’s how I feel for you, Tetsurou. I really like you, a-and I, um…I would… _really_ _really_ like it if we tried being more than what we are now, only if you agree for Shindo’s sake! I’ll take whatever I can get, so just… _please_. Please accept my relationship proposal.”

Tetsurou stared down at Suguru unblinking, trying to hide his gasps of shock as the chaebol begged at his feet, staring up with that pleading, K-drama like gaze that broke the journalist’s wall down immediately. Honestly, though, Kuroo wasn’t so sure he put those walls up in the first place. This felt too good to be true, but those damn contractions that had been on and off all day made him know this was reality, not some parallel universe invented out of his secret daydreaming mind, one he didn’t even tell Bokuto about…Suguru Daishou, heir to Japan’s largest accounting firm was _here_ , confessing his secret affection for Kuroo, his volleyball rival, roommate and mother of his child. This was totally real. Shindo was a witness.

Kuroo had never felt so vulnerable before, curling in towards his son for protection in case it was all a cruel prank performed by Tokyo’s richest pretty boy for a good laugh; those snake-like eyes were honest as they stared up, glossy and prepared for heartbreak, eagerly awaiting Tetsurou’s answer. Every memory Kuroo ever had of Suguru flashed before his very eyes, from the first volleyball camp to their first kiss, their first time together to the first night in their new apartment, their first laughs together and first compliments, all leading up to their first unborn child right below his line of vision. Kuroo wanted to confess just as Suguru had, but his bouncing emotions and pregnancy hormones reminded him of another factor that put a damper on their new, official relationship.

“Oh my god,” The journalist realized.

“What?” Daishou said worriedly.

“Suguru—we’re already dating!”

The chaebol raised an eyebrow, tears drying up as he looked away in confusion, trying to put the puzzle pieces together. They were already dating? Really? When had that happened?

“Huh? We are?”

“ _Yes_!” Kuroo exclaimed, jumping up and waving his arms around wildly. “We live together, we sleep on the same bed, we kiss each other goodbye and miss each other when we’re gone, and, let’s not forget _this_ whole development,” He pointed to his bulging stomach. “You made hundreds of fried pickles for me, you growled at some pervert at the volleyball game for me, _annnnnd_ , you punched a guy in the _grocery store_ for me! Face it, Suguru! We’ve been dating for the past _seven months_!!!”

At first, Daishou thought the hormones were really getting to Tetsurou, but after a moment of contemplation, remembering the nights spent cuddling in the bed, the scenting, the constant worried texts, the shared meals, the tickle fights, the homework sessions, planning Shindo’s life together, and let’s not forget, the outstandingly hot nights of sex on the couch, on the bed, in the fucking backseat of the Acura—…yeah. That was definitely not things people who weren’t dating did together.

“Oh.my. _god_.”

“I know!” Tetsurou squeaked.

“We’re already _dating_ , Kuroo!” Suguru shouted, fisting a handful of hair as he began pacing around the living room. “I can’t believe I’ve been kicking my own ass trying to put together a confession just to find out we’ve been dating for _seven months_!”

“I know!!!”

“That is un _fucking_ believable!!!”

“I KNOW!”

“Come here,” Daishou ordered, grabbing onto Kuroo’s collar and yanking him forward boldly so their fronts were pressed against each other. “I’m going to give you your first official kiss as boyfriend-boyfriend, and you’re going to love it _so_ much you might pass out.”

“Not if I kiss you first and make _you_ pass out first, bitch!”

Tetsurou and Suguru went after each other aggressively, forcing their love through a rough kiss and accidentally clinking their teeth and heads together; Kuroo cried out in pain and fell back onto the couch, the alpha following after while holding his head agonizingly. When the throbbing receded, a small laugh fell off Daishou’s lips, triggering a grin from Tetsurou which then resulted in a wild flurry of laughing against each other like love-struck idiots. Suguru held onto Kuroo around his stomach, stomach aching from amusement as they replayed the obscurity of their previous conversation—deep layers of blush covered both their cheeks, though it was hidden since they both buried their faces into the nearest object, Tetsurou ducking into the couch cushion and Suguru in Shindo. If only the pair had stepped back and faced their feelings earlier; maybe they would have realized as everyone else did, that their connection wasn’t just friendly anymore.

_Oh well._

“We’re idiots,” Kuroo mumbled over a chuckle, peeking out from the cushion.

“ _Total_ idiots…”

“But I’m glad we’re idiots.”

Suguru had a bright smile on his beaming cheeks as he peered upwards, leaning his chin on Tetsurou’s swollen stomach while staring affectionately at the omega.

“Me too,” The chaebol agreed. “I’d rather be love-struck idiots than awkward, hateful roommates.”

“Even if hateful roommates are more fun?”

Kuroo snickered at his own joke, wondering when he started loving Daishou’s eye-roll so much. He allowed the snake to lean up and lay a better kiss on his lips, slow and steady, like they had all the time in the world; at first, this kiss wasn’t different from any of their others in the past seven-months, but the feeling when Suguru pulled away changed Kuroo’s mind. That focused, reverent expression shining in Daishou’s narrowed eyes reminded the omega of that one night after the volleyball game in the backseat of the Acura—if that was the moment they both realized their love for each other, Shindo would have quite a story to hear someday.

“Um…Daishou?” Kuroo whispered, breath fanning over Suguru’s lips, as he still had yet to lean away. As if he would ever want to.

“Hm?”

“Would it be cool if we laid here for a while? You know…as a _real_ couple and not just an accidental one?”

“I’d be honored, Tetsurou.”

Suguru vowed to never say those words again, but after getting a quick kiss in return, he figured he might let his pride slide a bit if it meant earning himself more kisses. Neither boy stopped smiling as they settled into the couch comfortably, minds reeling over what the last ten minutes had just created for their future—instead of thinking about their son and everyone else who might be confused over their relationship, Kuroo and Suguru decided to live in the moment, cuddling up against each other like they had been doing for months, now.

Hardly fie-minutes had passed before Suguru suddenly felt his stomach drop.

“Oh fuck.”

“What now?” Kuroo questioned, giving an oomf as Daishou threw himself off the couch in a hurry, one shoe and all.

“I left my keys in the Acura!”

“Not Deok Hwa! Hurry, Suguru, hurry, that’s a precious artifact in our relationship history!”

“Shut up!”

Tetsurou laughed at the silliness of the entire situation, smiling happily as Suguru glanced over his shoulder, sending the omega a similar grin before exiting the apartment to retrieve his car keys before anyone stole the Acura NSX, taking a steamy moment from their official relationship with them.

~~~-~~~

The first few days as couple weren’t really different for Daishou and Kuroo, which was embarrassing considering they were unaware of their relationship status up until a few days ago; they still got ready in the bathroom together, still folded the other’s clothing after doing laundry, still made the other breakfast, still held doors and asked how the other was feeling…yeah. It was a miracle they noticed their romantic feelings at all, even with their obviously affected scents bouncing around together for seven fucking months. Kuroo felt like a dumbass for acting so casual about their connection over the past few months when in reality holding in his emotions had been just as difficult as it was for Suguru. The chaebol thought back to that Christmas night when he almost confessed his love, wondering if he should have built-up the guts to do so then; Kuroo, too, thought back to all the times he told other people about his growing feelings towards the snake while still refusing to tell Daishou himself, but that wasn’t his fault, since their history of being natural enemies stood in the way. At least, that’s what he told Shindo…

Mori was overjoyed to find that his son and Suguru had finally come together and entered a real relationship; it gave him hope that Tetsurou would find true love in the ironically filthy rich young man, the same kind of love he had for his wife all those years ago. Kuroo’s father was the only one who knew about this recent development, since the omega had honestly been so wrapped up in his own feelings he forgot all about his best friend, who would probably kick his ass when he found out; until then, however, Kuroo was going to revel in happiness with Shindo, secretly telling the unborn baby all about their progress whenever Suguru left the room.

Things were definitely looking up.

“How can we have so much laundry to do?” Suguru grumbled to himself, folding another maternity sweater and handing it to Tetsurou so he could tuck the object away in a drawer. “We don’t even have a kid yet!”

“I go through a lot of underwear, Daishou-chan.”

“Gross.”

“From what I recall, you seem to like my underwear more than you say,” Kuroo teased, waving a pair of clean undies in the chaebol’s face. “You don’t jerk off to them while I’m asleep, do you?”

“You’re really sick, you know that? Where do you learn this stuff?”

“Bokuto.”

Normal enemy Suguru would have scoffed and began a discussion about how Fukurodani’s ace was a bad influence on the mother of his child, but relationship Suguru simply snorted and shook his head, handing Tetsurou another pile of clean clothing to put away. That was really the only difference Kuroo noticed since they started their “official” relationship. They still bickered, of course, but Daishou had been smiling a lot more the past few days and didn’t seem to be so stressed, even when he had a shitton of homework due for next week.

 _Our love story is a little weird, huh?_ Tetsurou thought quietly, sitting down on the bed as Suguru finished folding their clothes. _Bitter enemies in our youth, sleeping together on a desperate night of loneliness…would we have continued sleeping with each other, I wonder, if I hadn’t gotten pregnant right away? He did give me his number, and he made me breakfast and gave me a ride home…jeez. Daishou really is a sucker for me, isn’t he? Ha. Shindo and I are going to have so much fun messing with this rich bastard._

“I think your phone’s ringing,” Suguru said, alerting Kuroo back to reality. His cell phone vibrated on the dresser wildly, making the omega pull himself up to check the caller. “Who is it?”

“Bokuto.”

“Ugh.”

“It’s a facetime; you don’t mind being on camera for a little live-porno action, do you?”

Daishou didn’t get a chance to hiss at Kuroo before he answered, loudly greeting his best friend as the chaebol rolled his eyes in annoyance.

_“KUROOOOOOO!”_

“BOKUTOOOOOO!”

 _“Haha,”_ The other alpha laughed, waving happily as Suguru popped into the picture. _“What’s up, guys?”_

“Just doing some laundry,” Tetsurou sighed, plopping back down onto the bed tiredly, stomach bulging in the air. “What about you?”

_“Kaashi and I are waiting for our pie to be done. I think Kiyoko is playing with her Hamtaro set or something.”_

“Cool. Wanna say hi to Daishou-chan?”

 _“Ugh,”_ Bokuto groaned, making Suguru narrow his eyes as he laid down beside his boyfriend. The layout made Koutarou a little suspicious, but his mind was too preoccupied with another matter to notice much. _“Hi, Suguru…”_

“Hi, Bokuto…”

“ _Sooo…I have a little favor to ask you_.”

“You already owe me ten favors, Bo,” Tetsurou reminded his friend.

“ _Well, now I’ll owe you eleven, okay? This is a real favor, though, not like the times I asked to borrow your tupperware or anything_ ,” Koutarou assured him. Akaashi’s head popped-up in the background, his slightly irritated expression attempting to soften when he saw that he was on camera. Kuroo didn’t think his red cheeks derived from embarrassment, however (though Suguru couldn’t look at Akaashi without blushing due to the Christmas incident at the mall that one time…) and wondered if the omega was ill. “ _It’s a favor from both of us_.”

“Shoot.”

Bokuto shared a long glance with Akaashi off-camera, asking something quietly and getting a mumble in return.

“ _Well, you see…Kaashi’s heat is coming up on Friday, and we were wondering if maybe you guys wouldn’t mind babysitting Kiyoko for a few days? It would be good practice for you, we thought, and since it’s our first time spending Akaashi’s heat together_ …”

“For real?” Kuroo asked in amazement, looking over at Suguru with wide eyes. “You want us to babysit?”

“ _We figured it’s only right, since we’re the future godparents of your baby and all_ ,” Bokuto threw in, hoping the mention would convince the pair. “ _Anyway, we’d both really appreciate it, and we’d be indebted to you for at least a month!_ ”

“ _An entire month?_ ” Akaashi wondered in the background.

“ _Of course, Keiji, that’s how monumental this favor is! I thought you were looking forward to having wild sex with me for an entire weekend_ —”

“ _S-Shut up_ …”

“Of course we’ll babysit Kiyoko,” Suguru answered finally. “I’m sure she won’t give us too much trouble; like you said, it’ll be good practice for us.”

“Right,” Kuroo agreed, feeling a surge of warmth rush through his body when Daishou slid an arm underneath his shoulder. Why did it feel so natural, being close to him? “We’ll take great care of Kiyoko-chan while you two are having wild sex.”

It took Bokuto a long moment, but after analyzing the current pose of his best friend and his greatest enemy, a sudden realization came to him.

“ _HEY!!!! What the hell is going on between you two?!!_ ”

“ _Don’t shout, Bokuto-san_.”

“ _Akaashi, are you seeing this?!!! They’re acting like some lovey dovey couple! What the hell are you playing at, snake boy?!”_

“We are a couple, actually,” Suguru informed the other alpha with a smirk. Kuroo hated that he felt so much pride towards that smirk. “As of a few days ago…we’re dating.”

Bokuto’s mouth had never fallen open so far before. His golden owl eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets from shock. Akaashi must not have been surprised, because he hardly flinched in the background, only mumbling something when his boyfriend accidentally dropped his phone. Hurriedly, the alpha picked it back up, and then, Bokuto said something really, _really_ stupid.

“ _DON’T YOU DARE PROPOSE BEFORE ME, SALAZAR!_ ”

Everyone involved in the facetime froze except Akaashi himself. It was Kuroo’s turn for his mouth to drop open wildly, and Suguru bit his lip anxiously, staring at the stupid expression on Bokuto’s face as they eagerly waited for Akaashi to catch on. Kuroo was honestly proud of his best friend for not spilling the beans earlier, though this was a _brutal_ way of revealing his engagement plans…Suguru and he watched carefully as the other omega opened his mouth to respond, breaking the terrifying silence Bokuto had created.

“ _Koutarou, don’t be so dramatic_ ,” Akaashi sighed, though he leaned his head against the alpha’s bicep fondly. “ _Is it okay if we drop Kiyoko off Thursday night? My heat should be finish by Saturday evening, I think…we’ll pick her up around seven that night. Would that work for you two?_ ”

“Sounds great,” Kuroo agreed, eager to switch the conversation away from marriage. He would talk about he and Suguru’s _sex_ life if it meant hiding the fact that Bokuto would be proposing later in the spring… “Kiyoko will have a great time with us!”

“ _I’m sure she will_ ,” The other omega agreed. “ _Thank you so much_.”

“ _Hehe_ ,” His boyfriend giggled, returning to his usually dorky self after he realized he was momentarily safe from revealing their future engagement. “ _You’re thanking them because you’re so excited to have sex with me_.”

“ _Who says I’m bringing you along at all?_ ”

“ _Kaashi, no!_ ”

“ _Bokuto-san will text you with the details later—and congratulations on your new relationship. I hope everything works out well_.”

“Thank you, Akaashi-kun.” Suguru nodded with a hint of a smile on his lips.

“See you guys later!”

 _“Bye, Kuroo! Oh, and remember what I threatened that one time, Daishou,”_ Bokuto reminded him as Akaashi went to shut the facetime off. _“If you hurt my precious best friend I’ll rip off your b—”_

_Beep beep beep_

“Jeezuz, that was close!” Tetsurou exhaled dramatically, tossing his phone somewhere on the bed. “He almost gave it away just because _you_ had to tell them we’re dating!”

“I won’t be outdone by him,” Suguru pouted, peeling his arm out from under the omega to cross it over his chest. “If worse comes to worst, I’ll even propose on the same day.”

“You’ll be greatly disappointed by the reply you get, snake boy.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah!”

Daishou threw himself over Kuroo and began tickling the hell out of his sensitive sides, making the omega have to pee even more than usual as he squealed and thrashed around violently, desperate to escape the snake’s grip. This was the kind of relationship shit Kuroo could live with—even if bratty boy Suguru was the one doing it. After a solid five-minutes of painful laughter and aching sides, Daishou finally let up, giggling over top of a panting Kuroo as the omega struggled recovering from the attack.

“Wait…a second…”

“What is it?”

“Is this place really fit for a child to run around in?” Kuroo wondered, glancing around the bedroom curiously, thinking back to what they agreed to do for Bokuto and Akaashi.

“I think it’s okay,” Suguru scratched his head. “I mean…we don’t have child safety locks on anything, but…Kiyoko’s not _that_ much of a baby.”

“True. But shouldn’t we, like, get a smaller toilet seat or something? So she doesn’t fall in?”

“Is she even potty trained?”

“…I don’t know,” Kuroo shrugged innocently underneath him. “When do kids usually get potty trained?”

“…I don’t know.”

Daishou stared down at a confused Tetsurou for a long second before they both launched themselves off the bed and began scrambling around the apartment, horrified at all the dangerous objects they had floating around. For starters, they had a container of Suguru’s golden lube sitting on the motherfucking dresser, an empty condom wrapper underneath the couch in the living room, a found drawing of Bokuto’s involving his usual snake tail penis…this apartment looked like a frat kid’s playground, and Kuroo was horrified.

“This is terrible!” The omega cried when Suguru returned from investigating the bathroom, which wasn’t in much of a better state with expensive, toxic Korean face creams scattered in very reachable places. “Akaashi will never let us babysit if we have all this shit lying around!”

“You’re right,” Daishou agreed, biting his nail nervously. “We need to child proof this place.”

“First thing’s first—you go out and buy some of those child door handle things. I’ll start hiding anything toxic and put all our sex stuff in a closet somewhere.”

“…But what if we get in the mood and we can’t get to it in time?”

“Listen, dude, we’re going to be parents for _three days_!” Tetsurou hollered, grabbing onto Suguru’s collar and shaking him violently. “There won’t be any time for even _thinking_ about sex, understand?! We’ve got to be ready for anything: tantrums, spills, accidents, blood—”

“Blood?!” Daishou repeated in a panicked voice. “Why would there be blood? No child of ours is going to be bleeding, not on my watch!”

“You never know! Now go, go, we’ve got to get everything ready before Thursday, let’s move it!”

“We can do this,” Suguru assured Kuroo (and himself), grabbing the omega’s hand as they hurried towards the door. “We’ll get locks and snacks and everything else Kiyoko needs—we’ll be fine.”

“Y-Yeah. We’ll be fine.”

A light kiss was planted on the side of Tetsurou’s temple before Daishou threw his coat on and grabbed his car keys, shooting the omega a sickeningly confident smile.

“At least we’re in this together, now, huh?” Suguru said.

That was true. Kuroo didn’t feel as scared as he would have before, knowing that Suguru and he were in this together. He and Shindo wouldn’t be taking care of Kiyoko alone. Daishou would be there to help, like he had been doing for the past seven-months; as sure as the omega felt earlier about raising the baby on his own, had the chaebol been a total brat about the situation, raising Shindo as a single mother would have been increasingly difficult; for starters, they wouldn’t be living in such a safe apartment complex, nor would they be having a fancy baby shower in March. Kuroo wouldn’t have Sora and Daisuke as his other set of parents, and Shindo wouldn’t have a father figure growing-up. The more Tetsurou thought about the “what if’s,” the better he felt about his current relationship with Suguru—he felt better so much, in fact, that he tugged the alpha in for a long, sloppy kiss that shocked Daishou to his core. Yes, there were still concerns about the future, how their bickering personalities would change, but for now…

“Hell yeah,” Tetsurou smirked deviously when they pulled away. “We’re in this together.”

 

By the time Thursday came, Kuroo and Suguru were a total mess, just like the parents they would soon be.

 

The pair had childproofed anything and everything they could think of, from every door handle to every sharp corner in their upscale apartment; certain channels were blocked on the TV, the kitchen was stacked with all kinds of snacks and juices for Kiyoko, the living room was cleared of clutter to make way for toy chests, another small futon was set up in the baby’s room…Suguru was sure they had everything taken care of, from the mini toilet seat to the girly bed sheets on the extra futon. Kuroo knew they bought enough food for the weekend, but a few minutes before Kiyoko would be dropped off, both boys found themselves standing in the hallway pacing the floor.

“What if she throws a fit when Akaashi leaves her?” Daishou wondered anxiously, biting at his nails. “What do we do then? Do we leave her be?”

“What if she isn’t potty trained?” Tetsurou asked, rubbing his stomach as if that would help cure their fears. “How do you wipe a kids’ butt? I hardly know how to wipe my own butt!”

“Okay…let’s just…calm down. Deep breaths.”

“Right. Deep breaths.”

After thirty-seconds of trying and failing to calm down, Kuroo made an odd squeaking noise and covered his face up, almost making himself sick over the idea of something terrible happening to Kiyoko while they babysat her. Suguru brushed off his own nerves and began scenting the omega quietly, rubbing the latter’s back as an act of comfort; while it calmed him down to some extent, Kuroo felt another surge of irritation when his instincts pushed him towards wrapping his own arms around Daishou in hopes of bringing him closer. When had he become such a slut for this punk?

“I hate myself.”

“What? Why?” Suguru asked with a frown.

“Because I’m dating my worst enemy! I’ve betrayed myself in the worst possible way!” Kuroo explained through a cringe. “The baby I can live with, since I know at least 50% of his DNA is mine, but the whole falling for Suguru Daishou thing? That’s totally unacceptable.”

“This is a very flattering conversation. You’re just insulting me because you’re stressed about Kiyoko coming over.”

“Well, I like insulting you anyway, but I’m seriously disappointed in myself for being such a sucker.”

“I know one person who wasn’t disappointed,” Daishou smiled slyly, nudging his nose against Kuroo’s neck.

“You—You can’t just—” The journalist stuttered, trying to push away from the adorable comment. “You can’t _say_ stuff like that! It’s humiliatingly cute!”

Suguru laughed lowly just as someone knocked on their apartment door, the loud voice of Bokuto pushing through the metal.

_“There better not be any shimmy-shamming going on behind this door!”_

_“Bokuto-san, don’t be so loud in the hallway.”_

“Oh shit,” Kuroo said shakily as Suguru pulled them towards the door. “I’m not ready to be a parent!”

“You better be! Anyway, you’ve babysat Kiyoko before, so what are you so worried about?”

“Oh…Oh yeah. I babysit her all the time! This’ll be fun!”

Tetsurou’s forced expression betrayed his true feelings, prompting Suguru to brush a finger over the omega’s hand before opening the door, revealing a tired-looking Akaashi, the ever-so-vivacious Bokuto and cute little Kiyoko with her pink backpack, black skirt and American Girl doll. She looked calmer than anyone, bowing at Suguru in greeting.

“Hey, Kiyoko-chan,” Daishou said, tugging Kuroo up beside him. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“That’s so kind of you to say, Suguru!” Bokuto interrupted, stepping in front of Kiyoko. “Unfortunately, we decided to let another couple babysit this we—”

“We did _not_ ,” Akaashi sighed while giving his boyfriend a hard pinch on the side. “Koutarou is just upset about your relationship. He’ll get over it.”

“…Like hell I will,” The alpha mumbled as they entered the apartment, taking note of all the newly childproofed additions. Kiyoko seemed very interested in the new layout, strolling around the main living room area with her backpack still on after slipping into a pair of sparkly slippers Suguru picked out for her. Kuroo kept his gaze locked on that serious child expression, anxiously waiting for her to start throwing a tantrum—or start throwing something else until Akaashi took her home…

“You didn’t have to clean up so much, Kuroo-san,” Akaashi commented, gathering the other omega’s attention. “Kiyoko will only be staying with you for a few days.”

“Well, we didn’t want her to be uncomfortable here, so we just…threw some stuff together.”

“What do you think, Kiyoko?” Bokuto asked the young girl, kneeling down beside her when she returned from looking around. “This place should be okay for a few nights, hm?”

“Yes,” She nodded shortly. Daishou and Tetsurou stood at full attention when she turned to face them, bowing lowly. “I’ll be in your care, Kuroo and Suguru-san.”

 _Oh no_ , Kuroo thought in a panic, feeling the dread of heavy responsibility begin to suffocate him. _She’s too adorable. I won’t be able to face myself if something happens to her—not to mention, Bokuto will literally kill me! No no. This is too much pressure, I forfeit all responsibility to Daishou-chan._

“We’ll take good care of you, Kiyoko-chan.” Suguru promised, patting her head gently. He and Akaashi (the responsible parents) went through all the contact information as Tetsurou pulled his best friend to the side, whispering intently.

“Bo, I gotta ask you some serious questions.”

“No, I don’t think your relationship with the heir of Slytherin will last— _ow_! That hurt!”

“This is serious!” The journalist hissed, releasing his pinching hold on Bokuto’s bicep. “And how dare you insult our half-blood family?”

“I’ll have you know Akaashi is a pureblood, so take _that_.”

“So, listen…is Kiyoko…potty trained?”

For once, Bokuto was the one giving his friend a stupid look, staring at him with a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed expression.

“…She’s _four_.”

“So…yes, then?”

“Yes,” The alpha rolled his eyes. “She’s fully equipped. Don’t worry about that.”

“Good. Okay. Does she have any allergies or anything?”

“No.”

“Does she like apple juice?”

“Yup.”

“What time does she usually go to bed?”

“Dude, Akaashi has a list of all that stuff in her bag; calm down, would ya? You know you’re going to be a parent in a few months, right?” Bokuto teased, tugging them back to the main event. “Don’t be so uptight!”

While the best friends were bickering with each other in low voices, Suguru had leaned down to listen to Kiyoko tell him all about how she “broke up” with a boy at her daycare, the idiot who insulted her, as Daishou remembered being told by Kuroo, and now sparked up a friendship with the newest girl arrival Yachi, who seemed like a much sweeter option. Akaashi seemed to approve of this newest development, smiling softly down at his daughter as she rambled on about how she held hands with Yachi and protected her from bullies at the daycare.

“…And Yachi gets really nervous when she’s in front of lots of people, so she tells me what to say and I say it instead of her.”

“Ahh, I see,” Suguru nodded, honestly interested in the woes of children. “That’s nice of you.”

“I think we’re ready to go, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi caught his attention. Daishou stepped back to stand by Kuroo as Kiyoko hugged her father and Koutarou tightly, doll squished in the middle of their group hug. “Be a good girl, okay?”

“I will.”

“Ask Suguru and Kuroo-san if you need anything, alright, girly?” Bokuto told her, kissing Kiyoko’s cheek sweetly. “We’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.”

Akaashi peeled himself and his boyfriend off Kiyoko, walking towards the door slowly while making sure his daughter had everything she needed; after lingering moments between the family, Akaashi finally bid them farewell, expression not exactly worried, just filled with motherly concern. Kuroo admired that look from a few steps away, wondering how differently his expression would look when Shindo arrived come May.

“Call if you need anything,” Keiji reminded Suguru and Tetsurou, who nodded right away. “Thanks again.”

“No problem. Anytime we can be of help.”

“Have fun getting f—”

“Bye, Kiyoko!” Bokuto called, cutting Kuroo off.

“Bye baby—love you.”

“Love you, too.”

When the door finally shut, leaving Suguru and his anxious bride alone with Kiyoko, an awkward silence hung in the air as those dark midnight blue eyes stared up at the boys mysteriously, asking silent questions neither knew how to answer. She quietly set her backpack aside, holding her hands behind her back while waiting for the adults to suggest a game or a snack; the chaebol said nothing, though his eyes were shining readily when Kiyoko looked up, and Kuroo avoided her gaze like she was a possessed doll, so Akaashi’s daughter decided to take things upon herself.

“Where will I be sleeping tonight, Suguru-san?”

“Oh! Right! It’s um, just this way—we set up a futon for you in the baby’s room,” Daishou motioned, pulling Tetsurou along with them. “Right down the hall, here.”

Kiyoko nodded in approval at the colorful baby room, loving the color and adorable decorations they set up for their newest addition; a pretty futon had been set up in the middle of the room, leaving a bit of space for her bag and toys. She walked around the room, running a finger along the dresser, rocking chair and crib, unknowingly making Kuroo even more nervous because he couldn’t read that blank expression of hers. It was the same as when Akaashi first started dating Bokuto and Tetsurou didn’t know if the omega even liked his best friend because he kept his dorky tendencies very secretive. Suguru’s eyes eagerly followed Kiyoko’s every move, frantically waiting for her reaction, possibly a river of tears when it hit her that she wouldn’t be seeing her father for a few days…

“Well?” Suguru asked in a high, tense voice, giving Kuroo’s hand a tight squeeze. He was more nervous about the little girl’s opinion on their interior decorating than anything else. “Is everything to your liking, Kiyoko-chan?”

“Yes,” She nodded certainly. “I like the smell.”

“The smell?” Kuroo wondered out-loud. That was the one detail he failed to think of before her arrival. “Oh, right…it doesn’t bother you at all? Doesn’t mess with your own scent?”

“Nope,” Kiyoko assured them. “It smells like a fancy rainforest.”

The black-haired girl left the room swiftly, leaving the boys to glance over at each other in confusion.

“Fancy rainforest?” Kuroo and Suguru repeated simultaneously.

They hurried out of Shindo’s room and followed after Kiyoko, who pulled a few coloring books out of her backpack as well as a container of juice; the boys continued to stand in the room awkwardly until Kiyoko finally gave them that cute, irresistible batting of the eyelashes while holding up her crayons.

“Do you want to help me color my princess coloring book, now?” She asked hopefully.

“Of course we can!” Kuroo nearly shouted, hurrying to sit on the ground beside her, pulling a pillow down for comfort. He’d forgotten how fun playing with kids could be—Suguru was alarmed at his sudden change of attitude, though he scrambled to catch up and be part of the group. “You color Mulan and Suguru can color Maleficent!”

“Hilarious,” Daishou huffed, though he sat down on the living room floor as well and accepted the crayons Kiyoko gave him. “And _you_ can color Snow White, your majesty. Better watch your back.”

“Kiyoko, can you believe the way he talks to me? I’m having his baby yet he still treats me like an off-brand cereal!”

“I like off-brand cereal,” Kiyoko responded smoothly.

“That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard, Kiyoko!” Tetsurou cooed, pinching her cheek lovingly as Suguru rolled his eyes, though a surge of warmth shot through his chest. “How’d you get so sweet?”

“Mommy’s sweet. Bokuto-san is, too.”

“Tch. He’s sweet alright.”

“You be quiet, chaebol,” The omega waved off, beginning to color his Snow White page.

“What’s a chaebol?” Akaashi’s daughter questioned, carefully coloring in her Mulan picture.

“It means I’m a wealthy heir of a company. One day I’ll inherit my father’s accounting firm and become the boss, though the term ‘chaebol’ is widely inaccurate.”

“So…you’re a prince,” Kiyoko confirmed, glancing up at Suguru in a whole new light. Kuroo hated that look and went to retort, but Suguru beat him to it.

“Yes, Kiyoko-chan,” The alpha agreed with a sick smile. “A _prince_.”

“Some prince you are…”

“Look on the bright side, Tetsurou—if I’m the prince, that means you’re my fiancé. You’ll be queen one day.”

“I’d rather die!”

Kiyoko giggled sweetly, their bickering reminding her of Bokuto and her father, though they kissed a lot more than Kuroo and Suguru (so far); Tetsurou and the little alpha began discussing which Disney Princess was their favorite, why they liked the old animation better, which dress they thought was prettiest, etc. etc. Daishou sat beside them quietly, letting himself smile without bitterness over Kuroo being more intrigued by Kiyoko than him; children were just so entertaining. Especially ones as smooth and precious as Akaashi’s daughter. She was basically a princess herself, informing the boys that she brought along her Mulan dress so they could play princess later, and that Bokuto went out and bought her five other princess outfits even though it wasn’t Christmas anymore, saying her father scolded him for spoiling her but played dress-up with her anyway. After sitting there for a solid hour watching Kuroo and Kiyoko interact, Suguru thought he wouldn’t mind having twins, one girl and one boy—it was a bit too late for that, of course, with Shindo already in development, but maybe…

 _Maybe if things go well between Kuroo and I_ , the chaebol dared to think. _Maybe…_

“Suguru-san,” Kiyoko said worriedly, looking at his uncolored picture of Maleficent. “I know she’s not a princess, but you should still at least color in her outfit.”

“Yeah, Suguru, keep up!”

“Alright, alright…”

“Kiyoko, let’s dress Dai-chan up as Maleficent later on! I’ll be the hot prince that saves the day!”

“ _I_ always save the day, Kuroo-san.”

“Oh. Okay then…”

Tetsurou pouted for a minute or two before sending Suguru a grin, nudging the alpha’s leg before diving back into his coloring page, gossiping to Kiyoko about the latest development between her father and Bokuto, asking whether or not they painted his old room yet, if they finally fixed the old furnace that kept going down…all the while, Kiyoko would nod and give colorful answers, giggling whenever Kuroo told her a funny story about when he and Bokuto used to be roomies, eagerly sharing the story of where he got his rose gold necklace from.

 

All the while, Daishou was wondering how easily he could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a shitty half-chapter because it would probably take me another month to finish writing the complete chapter since i've been an abused overworked employee lately...didn't wanna leave my bros hanging!  
> fluff for now, fights for later. hehe
> 
> Thanks for reading, have a good day!


	7. "i still can't let you go"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tears, storms, spring #notedited

_I’m blowing out the cold you_

_Like smoke, like white smoke_

_I say that I’m gonna erase you_

_But actually, I still can’t let you go_

Kiyoko seemed to enjoy spending time with Suguru and Kuroo, however dysfunctional they could act sometimes, like when they argued about what to have for dinner, when they argued about who got to color the last Belle picture, when they argued about whether or not they should have a formal dinner with Bokuto to explain their relationship, etc. etc. She found it all very entertaining, especially when an almost food fight ended with Suguru kissing Kuroo to death, which then resulted in the heavily pregnant omega running (waddling) into the bathroom, holding his bladder and saying he had an absolute emergency on hand. Kuroo reminded Kiyoko of Bokuto, and while Suguru looked and smelled like a prince, he reminded her most of Tom Riddle. She told him so, only for Kuroo to laugh instead of the alpha, though his cheeks did get a little red; for the rest of dinner they spoke of Harry Potter, how Akaashi was a “boss” parent to get her involved in the fandom so soon, and Kuroo told the dreadful story of when he accidentally gave a major spoiler involving a beloved character’s death in book seven—Bokuto didn’t speak to him for three whole weeks. Suguru thought it was funny, but Kiyoko understood Bokuto’s pain.

“Kiyoko, aren’t you going to drink your milk?” Tetsurou asked as they began clearing the table. A full bottle of the little girl’s special Ensure milk sat untouched in front of her. “I mean, I can see how regular milk is nasty compared to mine—”

“ _Ahem_ ,” Suguru said loudly, attempting to distract from that inappropriate comment. “…If Kiyoko doesn’t want her milk she doesn’t have to drink it; she already had juice earlier.”

“Well, yeah, but Akaashi wrote on the note that she needs to drink this special kind for her bones even though she doesn’t like it that much.”

“We can let it slide for one night, can’t we?”

“…I guess,” Kuroo shrugged, though he really didn’t want to have to face Akaashi’s wrath; he had seen Bokuto been on that side more times than he could count. It wasn’t pretty. “Just for tonight, though. Akaashi’s scary when he’s angry, right, Kiyoko?”

The smaller alpha nodded frantically in agreement, helping the boys clean the table off before running off back to the living room, where Kuroo launched them into a Studio Ghibli marathon; first, they watched _Ponyo_ together, and following a break to make popcorn and hot chocolate (as annoying as he was, Suguru made some damn good hot chocolate), watched _My Neighbor Totoro_. Daishou admitted he had a collection of Ghibli movies when he was a kid, showcasing his skills by mouthing every piece of dialogue from the first movie, which he claimed he only knew by heart because he didn’t know how to work the DVD player as a child and accidentally spent an entire weekend watching it over and over again. Kuroo didn’t believe a word of it but was too tired to argue by the time their marathon was over; Kiyoko was good about getting in her pajamas and brushing her teeth, though that was to be expected given how Akaashi had been raising her on his own since high school. Things seemed frighteningly strict at the Akaashi household, but Bokuto assured Kuroo that his boyfriend was actually a sucker most of the time, so the omega didn’t feel so bad about letting her stay up a few minutes past her bedtime, though Suguru was stressed out about it by the time Kiyoko crawled into her futon.

“Alright, Kiyoko,” Tetsurou began as they fluffed her blanket up, turning Shindo’s nightlight on for her. “We’ll be right across the hall if you need anything; the bathroom’s just down the hall, too, and the kitchen is yours for the taking if you get hungry again. Okay?”

“Okay. Can Suguru-san brush my hair?” Kiyoko asked, holding out her special hairbrush towards the other alpha, who looked surprised that he received such an honor.

“Ew, you really want a snake to—”

“Of course I’ll brush your hair, Kiyoko,” Daishou interrupted, shoving Kuroo out of the way so he could grab the brush. “I’m the best at it, after all. Kuroo obviously doesn’t possess the same set of skills I have when it comes to taking care of his hair…”

“Shut up…”

“Will the baby have Kuroo’s hair or your hair?” Kiyoko asked as Suguru began gently running the brush down her shining black locks.

“Hmm…I’m not sure. Let’s hope he at least doesn’t inherit the messiness like Kuroo’s,” The alpha winked.

“You guys are so mean! Not everyone can be blessed with beautiful hair like you and Kiyoko’s,” Kuroo whined, running a finger down the little girl’s velvety hair. She really did look so much like her mother; if Bokuto was lucky enough to have Akaashi accept his proposal, Kuroo hoped their next kid would look like a mixture of the two. That kid would definitely be a little player by the time he made it to daycare—biceps and green eyes? Jeez…Kuroo was starting to hope Akaashi rejected the proposal. Why did they have to out-do he and Suguru in everything?

“On second thought, I hope he _does_ have Daishou-chan’s hair; that way we’ll know his Zodiac sign is accurate.”

“What are you going on about?” Suguru wondered, sweetly finishing with his brushing and whipping Kiyoko’s hair into a loose braid.

“Oh, nothing…”

“There; hair finished. Now that it’s officially twenty-minutes after your bedtime, let’s get you to sleep.”

Suguru pulled the covers up to Kiyoko’s chin, tucking her in tightly as Kuroo’s heart began bursting at the seams from all the cuteness of this image; his boyfriend was such a dad already, smiling gently with his green eyes losing any remnants of malice or anger, slow moving hands patting Kiyoko’s head when he went to stand up…it almost brought an embarrassing amount of tears to Kuroo’s eyes. He turned away after a moment to spare himself of an emotional breakdown.

“Sleep tight, Kiyoko.”

“Sleep well, Kuroo and Suguru-san…”

Daishou ushered Kuroo out of the room quietly, shutting the door halfway behind him so the dim hallway light creeped in slightly; Tetsurou quickly excused himself to the bedroom, leaving the alpha alone so he could do his nightly skin routine, after which he gave a huge sigh and entered their room, where Kuroo was already cuddled-up in bed. Suguru thought he saw the omega wiping a tear off his cheek, but since his scent didn’t seem too agitated he let it slide, crawling onto his side and immediately ducking under the warmth of the covers.

“Kiyoko didn’t even throw a fit and I’m _still_ stressed out,” Suguru chuckled, putting his hands behind his head. “She’s a sweet girl, so I doubt she’ll give us any trouble. We freaked out for nothing.”

“Mm…”

“…Everything okay?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. I’m cool,” Tetsurou assured him, though he didn’t make eye contact. “I’m just…thinking.”

“Jeez, Kuroo,” Daishou groaned in agony, covering his face with his hands. “Don’t tell me you’re already doubting your parenting skills and are considering leaving Shindo and I after he’s born!”

“What?! No! Are you crazy?! I would never leave him with a sex-crazed maniac like you!”

“I’m not the one always begging for it…”

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

Kuroo shot a glare his way, crossing his arms as he mentally threw a fit, Suguru going quiet beside him; sex hadn’t even crossed his mind since Kiyoko’s arrival, just like the omega said earlier in the week. He wasn’t opposed to doing it now, but wouldn’t that be super creepy when Akaashi’s daughter was just across the hall? Bokuto would beat the living snot out of him if she accidentally saw anything, though judging on how much the alpha bragged about he and Akaashi’s sex life, she had probably almost walked in on them several times—Suguru couldn’t help but wonder how things were going with the couple. Unfortunately, he hadn’t forgotten about his instinctual urges towards Kuroo that night in Deok Hwa, hating himself for being jealous of Bokuto, how he got to spend Akaashi’s heat with him…little bastard. They would soon be equal in number of children, but Suguru wasn’t counting on Kuroo being very compliant within their new relationship.

“Hey, Kuroo.”

“Hm?”

Daishou turned on his side, leaning on his elbow and unintentionally making the journalist’s heart thump.

“What do you like about me?”

A few seconds of silence turned into thirty-seconds of silence, Tetsurou staring at the ceiling with a blank stare as time ticked on, growing to a minute, growing to a minute and a half, repeating the question over and over….

“ _Hey!_ ” Suguru whisper yelled, hitting the omega’s arm and making him laugh. “It shouldn’t take you that long to answer! We are _dating_ , you know!”

“Hehe!”

“Bastard. I could list ten things I like about you without hesitating,” The chaebol continued, turning to lay on his back and scowl at the ceiling. “For one, your hands are pretty. Secondly, your hair is hilarious. Thirdly, I like your dorky hyena laugh—it makes me laugh whenever I hear it. I like the color of your eyes, your degree is hard but super interesting when you talk about it, you were stupidly admirable when we played volleyball in high school, your teeth are perfectly white, and I like how you obsess over Korean dramas. It’s cute. And I like—”

“Stopppp,” Tetsurou groaned suddenly, ducking his head into Suguru’s shoulder while shoving a hand over the alpha’s mouth. “I like things about you, I just panicked for a second!”

“Fine,” Daishou said, prying the middle blocker’s hand off his mouth. “Let me hear, then.”

The black-haired boy gave a dramatic sigh, pulling the top cover over his head so he at least wouldn’t have to make eye contact when complimenting the ever so confident Suguru Daishou. What did he like about the serpent? Well, he liked how he was a happy-medium in bed, not too rough, not too gentle. He liked how sexy his hair looked when the fancy locks were all messed up, whether it be from grabbing hands or the weather…he liked a lot of things Suguru did to him in bed, but he had long since gotten past the barrier of pretending they were nothing more than sexual partners—what normal things did he like about Suguru? A million options ran through Kuroo’s head, but he managed to narrow the list down after a moment of thinking under his protective blanket, words mumbling through the fabric.

“…I like…I like your expressions when we watch K-dramas together. I like your fancy hair, especially when it’s messy and wet. I like your fancy clothes and fancy shoes, not because they’re expensive but because they make you look…really cool.” The last part was hard to say, but somehow Kuroo made it through. “I like your giggles and your carefree smile, and I like the way you drive. I also like your butt. And although I think you could improve, I like when you use your business skills, too.”

The latter compliment should have pissed Suguru off, but he was more focused on the comment beforehand; Kuroo glanced over his blanket daringly to catch the chaebol’s expression, wondering why it looked so intense. Was he not expecting such flattery?

“…Well?” The omega questioned. “Are you satisfied?”

“…You really think I have a cute butt? For real?”

“You bastard!” Tetsurou cried, throwing himself back under the safety of his covers as Suguru reached out to try and pull him out. “I said all those nice things about you and _that’s_ all you care about?!”

“It was surprising! I wasn’t expecting you to have an ass fetish—”

“Shut up, shut up!”

Suguru tried to contain his laughter as he finally managed to pull the covers off Kuroo, tugging him closer so he could lay a long, lingering kiss onto his lips, a soft gasp escaping the omega’s lips when Daishou leaned away. The chaebol had that stupid, proud smile on, directing it at Tetsurou for reasons unknown; Kuroo tried pushing his own smile away, but then he remembered Suguru said his hands were pretty and the smile fell out on its own, prompting the journalist to start giggling.

“Why are you laughing?” Daishou asked through his own breathy chuckle. Kuroo just shook his head and pushed Suguru away, covering his mouth so his hyena laugh wouldn’t escape and wake Kiyoko up; being awoken by a shrieking laugh would probably scar her for life. The chaebol leaned down to Shindo’s level, softly running his palms over the expanse of Kuroo’s large stomach while whispering quiet words to the unborn baby, Tetsurou watching from above.

“Try not to move around so much tonight, Shindo,” Daishou said. “Mommy has to sleep so he can be well rested tomorrow while he babysits Kiyoko-chan. You should get some rest, too, okay?” A rush of heat covered Kuroo’s cheeks when Suguru kissed his tummy. He never quite got used to that image… “I love you. Sweet dreams.”

“How come you don’t talk to me like that?”

“I do, but then you hide,” Daishou rolled his eyes, turning their lamp off and leaving the room in pitch darkness. “If you could man-up once in a while, our relationship could flourish.”

“Haha—flourish…”

“Why is that funny?”

Tetsurou giggled in response, loving the exhausted sigh he got in return; the pair got comfortable underneath the covers as they finally warmed-up, safe from Tokyo’s freezing winter weather for a while. A few seconds before Suguru could feel himself drifting off (kids really were draining), an arm wormed its way around his waist, pulling him closer to a warm body, stomachs pressing against each other’s as Daishou peeked his tired eyes open a smidge, happy to see Kuroo settling in, a peaceful expression on his soft features. With a child, though not their child, quietly asleep in the bedroom across the hall, snow whipping past their window as warmth from the heater engulfed their figures, Suguru was pretty sure nothing bad could ever happen to them again.

 

To an extent, Daishou was right.

 

Kiyoko woke bright and early the next morning, peeking over her covers when Suguru peeked into her room; Kuroo had checked on her several times throughout the night (during his many pee breaks, curtesy of Shindo), constantly worrying that she would somehow die in her sleep while under their care, destroying the bromance between Bokuto and Tetsurou as well as shattering whatever chance Bokuto had at Akaashi accepting his marriage proposal. Thankfully, all three survived the first night, happily eating breakfast together at the table in their pajamas—Suguru was the only one dressed since he had work, running around gathering his things as Kiyoko and Kuroo had a contest to see who could fit the most food in their cheeks.

“Say ‘chubby bunny,’ Kiyoko,” The omega laughed, watching as the messy-haired girl shoved another bite of pancake into her mouth.

“Chbbnnee.”

“Hahaha! Again, again!”

“Make sure she doesn’t choke on it,” Daishou reminded, making Kuroo gasp, parental instincts kicking in. Kiyoko chewed slowly, showing her babysitter that she had properly broken down every bite before swallowing. Suguru shook his head but had a small smile on his lips at the image of two messy-haired cuties sitting at his kitchen table; Kiyoko resembled Kuroo enough where it was easy pretending this had been their family right from the start, though the chaebol made sure to keep these thoughts to himself, for fear of Kiyoko telling Bokuto, in which case the brawny alpha would probably never let them babysit again out of jealously. Suguru snatched his car keys and ate the last bits of his pancake, feeling those cat-like hazel eyes on his back.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer, Kuroo.”

“Tch. Don’t flatter yourself, chaebol,” Tetsurou rolled his eyes, stealing one of the blueberries off Kiyoko’s pancake. She was used to such teasing, as she now lived with Bokuto Koutarou. “I was just looking at the stain on your butt.”

“What? Where?” Daishou asked stressfully, turning in circles trying to locate the impure mark on his black jeans. “I don’t see it! Where is it?!”

“See how vain this punk is, Kiyoko?” The little girl nodded. “If you ever see him with a stain on his shirt or anything else, don’t tell him; he could use a little public humiliation once in a while. Deflate his ego a bit.”

“Jerk.”

“Vanity boy!”

Kiyoko laughed quietly to herself, soaking her last pancake bite in the blueberry syrup as Kuroo heaved himself out of his chair to follow Daishou into the hallway, where the alpha slid into his oxfords and threw a scarf around his neck. The end of winter was upon them, but not before one final snowstorm set for the beginning of the week; after that, spring would arrive, and so would Shindo Suguru. Kuroo wasn’t all that eager for him to come today, given how he was going to be left alone with Kiyoko for an entire day…yes, he had babysat her before, but now with his impending title of becoming a parent on the line, he was more nervous than usual. Daishou could sense this as they lingered next to the apartment door, watching each other carefully. Did Kuroo have to look so good in those dorky fleece pajamas and matching slippers? The journalist had been wrong when he said they wouldn’t have time to even think about sex while taking care of a child...

“Don’t worry so much,” Suguru chided, leaning over to give Kuroo a kiss on the cheek. Even after realizing they had been dating for months without knowing it, Tetsurou still wasn’t used to all this straight forward affection. He preferred doing so awkwardly, secretly; life was more fun that way, though he admitted to Shindo he loved this version as well. “Call me at lunch, okay?”

“Mm…okay. How’d you know I was anxious, anyway? I didn’t say anything.”

“Didn’t have to.”

Kuroo’s expression dropped suddenly, bad case scenarios going through his mind.

“Oh my god.”

“What?” Suguru asked hesitantly.

“Did you _bond_ me when I was _sleeping_?!”

“No, idiot! You think I would do something like that?”

“Um, _yeah_! That’s the only way you could know what I was feeling! Plus, you’re totally into me—right, Kiyoko?”

“Yes,” The toddler nodded certainly. “Princes like princesses and other princes.”

“Thanks for the back-up, Kiyoko,” Daishou sighed, reluctantly accepting Kuroo’s giggling kiss as he opened the front door. “I’ll be back around six. Call if you need anything, and don’t forget to sit down and rest every now and then; I don’t want you overworking yourself.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him, Suguru-san,” Akaashi’s daughter promised from the table. “I watch Bokuto-san all the time; Mommy says he’s ‘accident prone.’”

“That’s an understatement.”

“I’ll see you guys later,” The chaebol chuckled, giving Kuroo one last look before waving to Kiyoko. “Bye, Kiyoko-chan. Have fun, alright?”

“I will. Have a good day at work.”

Daishou smiled one last time before exiting the apartment, leaving Tetsurou to exhale a deep sigh as he lumbered his way back to the kitchen island; Kiyoko and he stared at each other for a pondering moment, silence filling the room. Akaashi’s list sat to Kuroo’s right, now stained with blueberry syrup and other food fluids—the omega decided to leave their dishes for later, pushing them to the side as he began scanning over the paper for the hundredth time, double-checking the fact that Kiyoko wasn’t allergic to anything.

“Alright; Akaashi’s list says you usually practice reading and writing in the morning. Should we get into that right away?”

“Okay.”

“Luckily for you, I’m the one staying home today; as a student of mystery and journalism, I’ll be of great help to you. Suguru may be a business major, but his grammar can be pretty awful.”

“Bokuto-san says Suguru covers up his insecurities by using fancy words and sticking his chest out,” Kiyoko replied, innocently making Kuroo crack-up. She kneeled on the floor in front of the coffee table as Kuroo sat behind her on the couch, taking out a few simple workbooks from the girls’ backpack; she already had better handwriting than anyone Tetsurou knew, which normally would have made him jealous, but right now the idea of having a handwriting battle just seemed exhausting. Between worrying about Kiyoko and Shindo kicking his bladder every four, the omega hadn’t slept very well last night and was already paying the price, almost dozing off during their homework session—Kiyoko was content to practice on her own, only asking Kuroo for help on certain hiragana letters she had yet to master. Tetsurou could feel his stomach churning from the force of Shindo and all those blueberry pancakes he ate as the morning rolled on, the journalist managing to push playing princess until after lunch. The pair watched a few episodes of some educational show Akaashi had on the list, and that was about the last moment of quiet Kuroo received. Kiyoko wanted rice balls for a snack, so like the great babysitter he was, Kuroo made her some in their mess of a kitchen, letting his heavy body be tugged back into their living room to play princess for the next two hours.

“Okay…let’s…let’s call Suguru,” Tetsurou huffed, further exhausted from crawling around on his hands and knees while Kiyoko pranced around the couch. “I’m sure he has plenty to talk about.”

“I’ll click the buttons, okay, Kuroo-san?”

“Go for it.”

The phone rang and rang as Kuroo pulled himself up onto the couch, puffing out a sigh when his feet finally stopped aching, though Shindo continued squirming around and making the omega feel as if he were about to throw-up. Daishou finally answered near the final ring, sounding much too cheery for Tetsurou’s liking, triggering a random headache that made the omega want to cut his head off.

_“Hey guys; what’s up?!”_

“Hi, Suguru-san.”

_“Whatcha up to, Kiyoko-chan? Kuroo bore you to death yet?”_

“No. We practiced letters, then we watched TV, now we’re playing princess,” Kiyoko explained, holding the cell phone between her and Tetsurou. “How’s work?”

_“Pretty busy, actually; I’ve answered the phone like a hundred times already.”_

“What do you do at your job?”

 _“Well, I answer the phone when it rings, I make appointments, give people messages, simple stuff like that. Hey;_ _I don’t hear Kuroo,”_ Suguru commented, concern edging his voice for a different reason. _“Did he seriously leave you all alone? If he went out to buy more hot coco and left you—”_

“I’m right here, dumba—idiot,” Kuroo corrected, a surge of irritation rushing through him. He already doubted his skills as a single parent; did Suguru really have to agree with him like that?

_“Why are you so quiet?”_

“I don’t feel well. Your snakeish voice isn’t helping matters,” Tetsurou sighed, rubbing his temples tiredly. “Any chance you can come home early today?”

 _“Most likely not. I can see if someone can watc—shoot. The phone’s ringing; I gotta go,”_ Suguru said, shuffling in the background as an annoying ringing sound refused to shut the hell up. _“I’ll see you tonight, okay? Bye, Kiyoko!”_

“Bye bye, Suguru-san.”

Kiyoko set the phone down gently, watching as Kuroo released a big sigh and covered his face with a couch pillow like Bokuto did sometimes; now that she looked closer, the omega didn’t look very well at all. His body seemed much too hot, waves of heat jumping off along with his scent, body squirming every few seconds on account of Shindo kicking the hell out of his guts. Kiyoko flinched when a particularly hard kick actually made the skin move under his pajama top; without thinking about manners, the little girl reached out and laid her palm on Tetsurou’s stomach.

“Is that…is that really the baby moving?” She asked in amazement, getting Kuroo to peek out from behind his pillow as Shindo continued kicking.

“Yup. I whined about how still he was for the first five months and now he’s letting me have it.”

“Cool.”

“Pf. I guess…”

The increasingly worn-out omega set the pillow aside, quietly watching as Kiyoko remained fully intrigued by the woes of pregnancy; Kuroo understood her excitement, given how Akaashi had yet to have another child to keep his only daughter company, though within the next few years or so, if he accepted Bokuto’s proposal there was a good chance Kiyoko would become a big sister. Maybe she could practice on Shindo first. Or maybe Akaashi and Bokuto would adopt Shindo as their own after Kuroo had another mental breakdown and suffocated Suguru in his sleep…

_My thoughts are alarmingly dark today._

“Sorry I’m such a deadbeat today. This whole pregnancy thing is really kicking my butt.”

“Do you need anything? Water? Juice? Tea?” The little girl asked eagerly, melting Kuroo’s heart at the edges. “Mommy always puts a wet rag on my head when I feel icky; I’ll go get one, so stay right here, Kuroo-san.”

Kiyoko’s socked feet pitter-pattered towards the kitchen, whipping a stool out so she could reach the sink; Kuroo exhaled in relief when that cold fabric came in contact with his heated forehead, a bit of his agony melting away as the little girl gently dabbed the wash cloth over the omega’s skin. Still, Tetsurou felt bad that Kiyoko had to spend her time taking care of him when they should have been playing Mulan.

“Ugh…I feel like such a loser…”

“Everyone gets sick, Kuroo-san,” Kiyoko reminded him, slowly sliding the wet rag over his forehead. “Just like how Bokuto-san says everyone poops.”

“That moron…of course everyone poops.”

Kiyoko gave a breathy laugh, focusing intently on making Kuroo as comfortable as possible as another severe heat flash coursed through his body, making the back of his pajama shirt moist almost instantly. To distract from the humiliating situation, the journalist began another topic.

“I’ll tell you a secret in exchange for your kindness, Kiyoko-chan.”

“Okay,” Akaashi’s daughter said, a light brightening in her dark eyes. Kids loved secrets.

“Only Suguru and I know this information, so it’s crucial that you don’t speak of this to _anyone_ , especially Bokuto; got it?”

Kiyoko nodded eagerly, leaning forward to hear what he had to say.

“Alright. You know how we’re having a baby boy in May, right?” She nodded again. “Well…I picked out a name for him already.”

“What’s his name, Kuroo-san?”

“…Shindo.”

“Shindo,” The girl repeated as if it were a magic word. “Shindo. Shindo Suguru.”

“Pretty cool, huh?”

Kiyoko smiled so adorably it reminded Kuroo of the first time he ever saw Akaashi smile up at Bokuto during one of their third-wheel dates. She didn’t say another word for ten whole minutes, letting her babysitter fall into a deep nap until she got bored enough where the alpha turned on the radio and began practicing her dancing. Tetsurou didn’t feel any better when he woke-up an hour later, body sore and muscles aching as the journalist desperately tried to make their afternoon fun through boardgames and odd conversations. He tried drinking water, but that only made he and Shindo feel more bloated. He tried elevating his feet up against the wall (Kiyoko tried, too), but that only made the blood rush to their heads. Kuroo was experiencing the lows of pregnancy and the absolute will to just be done and over with it for the first time. Kiyoko thought her babysitter was about to lose it when he accidentally dropped her juice box, sticky contents splattering over the kitchen floor and prompting a terrible noise to erupt from his lips, though he regained his calmness and cleaned the mess up for the next ten-minutes without saying a word.

To say the least, Tetsurou was exhausted by the time Suguru made it home.

“Suguru-chan is home,” Kiyoko commented when she heard the apartment door open. She was rubbing Kuroo’s feet in the living room while pretending to be a masseuse princess.

“Oh thank _god_ ,” The omega sighed, Daishou entering from the cold Tokyo winter, shaking snow off his hair. “You’re here!”

“Hey,” Suguru greeted mildly, patting Kiyoko’s head when she ran up to him. “How was your day?”

“ _Grueling_. Not that she was naughty or anything, but—”

“Actually, I was asking Kiyoko,” The taller alpha said, igniting a twitch of annoyance from Kuroo. Suguru glanced down at Kiyoko, happy to see that she was unharmed and didn’t have any major spills on her Mulan dress. “Did you have lots of fun with Kuroo today?”

“Mhm!

“Good. I brought home some ramen for dinner; is that okay?”

“Can we play princess, first? Kuroo-san got tired so we stopped to take a nap.”

“Sure—let me put this away and then we can play.”

Suguru didn’t really notice Kuroo’s pouting as he entered the kitchen, Kiyoko running off to take a quick bathroom break before they started playing; the pile of dirty dishes sat untouched in the sink, along with crumbs and remnants of a sticky substance on the floor. _Didn’t we talk about this?_ Daishou wondered, biting his lip to keep from commenting while making his way towards the living room. _There has to be a balance between responsibility, intimacy and parenting. I thought we agreed that we would keep our apartment safe and clean so kids don’t have to fear germs or termites? Be cool, Daishou. You never know when his hormones will get the best of him…_

“Not feeling well today?” The chaebol said instead.

“ _Now_ you ask,” Tetsurou mumbled, rejecting Suguru’s hand held out to help him off the couch. The alpha thought he should at least scent Kuroo before he ran off, but the journalist had other plans. “I’m going to lay down for a bit. Don’t bother waking me up for dinner.”

_That’s a new one._

“You’re not hungry?”

“No.”

“…Are you sure?”

“ _What_?”

Suguru understood that Kuroo’s question wasn’t really a question, but a word used as a silent threat, daring the alpha to repeat what he just said. The chaebol didn’t take that chance, keeping his mouth shut as Tetsurou stomped off, slamming the bedroom door behind him; the little tantrum shouldn’t have irritated Suguru like it did, but he had a long day, too, fixing phones, listening to people complain, being hung-up on, etc. etc… _I guess I should have expected more fits from Kuroo than Kiyoko_ , the alpha thought with a sigh, plopping down on the couch for half a second before Kiyoko came running out excitedly.

“Let’s play princess, now!”

“Right now?”

“Yes—you be the horse and I’ll ride you like a princess would, okay?”

“Alright,” Suguru sighed, getting on his hands and knees so the little girl could crawl on him like he was an animal. “How long do I have to be the horse?”

“Bokuto-san usually lets me ride him for two-hours before Mommy says to stop.”

_Two hours?! No wonder he can pin me to the ground so easily!_

“Go, horsey, go! The Huns have invaded!”

Kiyoko kicked and prodded at Suguru like he was an actual horse for a solid forty-minutes before the chaebol faked an injury so he could get a breather, lying on the ground like a dead fish as Akaashi’s daughter made a magical potion that would give him more energy than ever before. It didn’t work to that full extent, but Daishou managed to pull himself off the ground for another round of riding, making at least fifteen more laps around the couch and coffee table before enough time had passed where he could make the excuse of dinner time. By the time they heated up the ramen, Suguru’s shoulders were killing him and through his own mental escapades he had forgotten about Kuroo’s earlier threat to not wake him for dinner.

“Be careful, it’s still hot,” Daishou warned Kiyoko, setting her bowl in front of her. “I’ll go get Kuroo.”

“Mk.”

The chaebol knocked on the bedroom door loudly, peeking his head in as an even messier haired Tetsurou glared a hole through his head from where he was buried under a mass of blankets on the bed.

“Dinner’s ready.”

Those hazel eyes sharpened even further, Suguru confused at their malice and the bitter reply he received.

“Are you mocking me because I said I wasn’t hungry?”

“…Oh. Right.” A deep sigh escaped Suguru’s lips that further infuriated Kuroo. “I must’ve forgot. Sorry.”

“Stop doing that.”

Daishou paused, hand still on the doorknob as he redirected his attention towards the omega.

“Stop doing what?”

“Stop sighing like I’m such a terrible burden to you,” Tetsurou explained. He was no longer looking at the alpha, narrowed gaze locked on those dorky, initialed slippers instead. “I’m not feeling well as it is, so I don’t need you added to my suffering with mental abuse.”

“Mental abuse? You’re calling my tired sighing _mental abuse_ , Kuroo?”

Suguru waited fifteen-seconds and got no reply. When Tetsurou turned away from him, deliberately sending his agitated sent towards the alpha, Daishou turned and slammed the door shut harder than necessary. Kiyoko was absentmindedly blowing on her ramen when her prince returned, silently chiding himself for making a scene in front of the young child and forcing a brighter attitude to return as they ate dinner together. Kiyoko drank her Ensure milk without any resistance this time, though she almost made Suguru sick by following up with the remainder of her ramen juice, claiming she was “washing the taste” out. Since Kuroo had still not returned by the time they were done eating, Suguru enlisted Kiyoko’s help in doing the dirty dishes, reeling his increasingly angry scent in and listening to the girl sing a song she heard on TV about doing chores. Daishou didn’t even know _why_ he was upset—Kuroo had mood swings before, but maybe since the chaebol himself was in the midst of one as well, his attitude felt more triggered than usual. Or maybe it was just the fact that their fights were different now that they were an official couple…every word, every snap and insult meant something else, now.

“Suguru-san,” Kiyoko asked seriously, grabbing his arm as they finished drying the dishes. “May we please watch _Ponyo_ again tonight?”

“Sure. We’ll have to start it pretty soon, though; don’t want you staying up past your bedtime.”

“I’ll get my pajamas on right away!”

Honestly, all Suguru wanted to do was take a hot bath and scrub himself down with various Korean lotions, but if Kiyoko wanted to watch a movie, that’s what they would do, with or without Kuroo. Once more they set up the movie and sat on the couch to watch, Daishou turning the volume up to an obnoxious level in hopes that it would anger Kuroo in the next room over; it must have worked well enough to wake the omega up, because twenty-minutes in he emerged with that cat-like glare, storming into the kitchen and grabbing a jar of pickles. Kiyoko giggled.

“Thought you said you weren’t hungry,” Suguru commented dryly.

“Thought you said you wouldn’t bother me again.”

“When did I say that, kitty-chan?”

“Kiyoko, would you like me to comb your hair before bedtime?” Tetsurou offered, plucking a pickle into his mouth. “I know how to French braid; tomorrow morning it’ll be all curly, just like a princess.”

“We’re wat—”

“Okay, Kuroo-san.”

Kiyoko eagerly hopped off the couch, leaving Suguru to grit his teeth and continue watching the movie alone as the evil Kuroo whisked the girl away to Shindo’s bedroom with promises of princess hair. Daishou couldn’t believe Tetsurou would use Kiyoko like that—after all his talk about being mature, responsible parents, he was pulling shit like this when they were supposed to be co-babysitting Akaashi’s daughter? Suguru had half a mind to call Mori and tell him what his son was up to, but the chaebol guessed that would result in nothing but Kuroo being even more moody, and so, kept that inner blame bottled up as he listened to Kiyoko’s giggles while trying to finish some homework he had. It was nearly impossible achieving anything when Kuroo’s voice kept taunting and irritating him until the alpha’s rage had built-up a huge spiraling mess of unresolved energy. By the time Suguru stormed into Shindo’s room to say goodnight to Kiyoko, he was not in a sleeping mood in the slightest. Tetsurou hardly acknowledged his presence at first, ignoring that stupid alpha scent as he finished combing Kiyoko’s hair.

“We’re busy, Salazar.”

“It’s fifteen minutes past Kiyoko’s bed time,” Daishou forced out. _Be cool in front of the child_. “I don’t want to send her home tired and cranky tomorrow evening.”

Kuroo didn’t comment, but luckily the next minute ushered Kiyoko into her futon beside the crib and gently tucked her in, chuckling as those midnight blue eyes began fluttering shut tiredly, despite the toddler saying she wasn’t tired only moments before. All the while, Suguru remained standing in the doorway with his arms crossed like some social services employee, watching Kuroo’s every move as he made sure Kiyoko was comfortable; it was a miracle the little girl didn’t sense the tension in the air. Honestly, Suguru didn’t know why there was tension at all, but still allowed the sensation to fuel his fire.

“Alright, border patrol, you can go, now,” Tetsurou mumbled.

His comment was utterly ignored, Daishou brushing past him and kneeling down to say goodnight to Kiyoko.

“This was really fun, Kiyoko-chan; tomorrow we’ll have a big dinner to send you off, and we’ll make some brownies to send home with you. Tell Akaashi you’re welcomed here anytime, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you, Suguru-san.”

“No problem,” The chaebol smiled sickeningly sweetly, brushing a lock of her hair aside. “Sleep tight.”

Kuroo outdid Suguru after he walked out, planting a big kiss on Kiyoko’s forehead and wrapping his arms around her in a tight squeeze.

“Goodnight, Kiki-chan!”

_Kiki-chan?_

“…Goodnight, Kuroo-san.”

“If Bokuto and Akaashi want to leave you here forever, know that I would _totally_ be fine with it—you can live with Shindo and I, and we’ll have a very happy ending!”

“Mommy’s _leaving_ me here?” Kiyoko repeated worriedly, eyes widening as she became fully awake.

“No no no, I just meant—well…I mean, Bokuto probably wants to run away with your mom, but I’m sure that won’t happen,” Tetsurou theorized, not helping the situation. “Anyway, if something were to happen like that, just know Shindo and I will be here for you!”

“And Suguru-san?”

“We’ll see.”

Kiyoko giggled softly, closing her eyes as Kuroo gave her one last hug before quietly sneaking out of the nursery, leaving the door halfway closed behind him; Suguru had already locked himself in the bathroom for the time being, so the bitter omega crawled into their shared bed, taking up most of the space by spreading out his limbs and moving around the covers. If Daishou thought they would be sleeping together tonight, he had another thing coming. Kuroo didn’t ask himself why he was being so difficult today, nor why the alpha was being just as difficult—his mind was immediately jumping to worse case scenario, picking out every little thing wrong with their current lives and nitpicking at every single word they had spoken today until he was fuming. When Suguru returned from his shower, discovering Kuroo hogging the bed, narrowed green eyes met hostile hazel ones, and the first of many confrontations began.

“What’s your problem?” Daishou asked, crossing his arms while standing at the foot of the bed. Kuroo didn’t find his wet hair cute anymore—just dorky. “I’m too tired to entertain your sexual needs tonight, so you’ll have to use your fingers if that’s what you want.”

“Don’t make me laugh, Suguru-chan; I was just thinking about what a threesome with Akaashi and Bokuto would be like. I bet Bokuto could fuck me pretty hard.”

“Why don’t you get pregnant by him, then?”

An entirely new feeling of resentment erupted in the bedroom after that sharp reply from Daishou. As much as Kuroo hated to admit it, those words stung a bit. He watched in silence for a second as the chaebol threw his dirty clothing in a nearby hamper, attitude unfriendly and unwilling; _seriously, what’s up his ass today?_ Tetsurou wondered, fluffing up his pillow as a distraction from the intense atmosphere. _Being a receptionist isn’t that fucking demanding…especially when you know you can just go crawling back to your daddy for money if needed…fucking chaebol. He’s not even the pregnant one here, so why is he so stressed?_

“Did your shower wash away that pissed off attitude?”

“ _I_ have attitude?” Daishou rephrased severely, turning to look at Kuroo with a scowl. “Did you pop one too many housewife pills or something? You’re the one who’s been bitchy since I got home. I feel sorry for Kiyoko, having to put up with you all day long.”

“ _Burn_! You think I give a crap what some rich punk thinks of me?”

“I think you give a lot of craps, considering you’ve been at my throat for the past four hours.”

“I forgot how dramatic and flashy your arguing style is,” Tetsurou rolled his eyes, though his aura was burning with more anger than snarkiness. “You should’ve been an asshole lawyer instead of a receptionist.”

“Whatever,” Suguru mumbled, snatching his pillow out from underneath Kuroo’s left side and a blanket from the end of the bed. “Have fun sleeping alone tonight, you mangy alley cat.”

“I will, teat sucker!”

“ _What_ did you just call me?”

“Teat sucker!”

Daishou sent a hot glare Kuroo’s way, flipping him off with that long, beautiful finger before shutting the door behind him, stomping out into the living room where he set himself up on the couch, a place he hadn’t slept in months. The alpha almost went back to demand he say goodnight to Shindo, but unprepared for more bickering, let the idea slide into fury and laid awake for the next two hours steaming about something or other. _He’s such a fucking brat!_ Daishou thought as he tossed and turned, hating that he could smell Kuroo’s scent everywhere. _I shouldn’t have let him get what he wanted. Now I have no power, and Kiyoko will think I’m a loser for letting him walk all over me. Should I storm back in and demand to sleep in our bed? That idiot told me I could sleep in there with he and Shindo! What a liar. I hate liars. Why must he be so difficult when we have company?_

Kuroo, too, did not sleep well that night; between his fatigue and sickly feeling, added to his unstable emotions and the pressures of being responsible for Kiyoko, Tetsurou was about to lose it. Near one in the morning he finally thought himself into a sleep coma, only to be woken by Shindo pushing on his bladder. Kuroo wanted to cry as he flushed the toilet, knowing Suguru would be pissed by the loud noise, and hurried to sleep in Kiyoko’s room in hopes of avoiding the alpha’s wrath. Kiyoko was confused when she woke-up Saturday morning, not understanding why Suguru and Kuroo weren’t sleeping with each other that morning and why they both seemed to be in bad moods. Akaashi had bad moods sometimes, but it was Bokuto who usually came home either sulking or jumping with joy, no in-between; with her babysitters/uncles, however, the atmosphere seemed… _different_. Last time she hung out with the pair at Christmas time, they were joking and teasing each other just like now, but if she didn’t know any better, Kiyoko would say they weren’t teasing anymore. They were almost _bullying_ each other. She made a mental note to ask her mother about it when she went home.

On Saturday night when Akaashi and Bokuto came to pick-up Kiyoko, the tension oozing out of Suguru and Kuroo’s apartment was so heavy it cut right through the cloud of the couple’s combined scents, pushing that new detail away and replacing Akaashi’s concern with a different idea; they hadn’t been thinking too much about how Kiyoko and the boys were doing since they were occupied with… _other_ things involving the omega’s heat, and Akaashi didn’t think anything could distract them from that delicious new scent they shared, but he had been wrong, it seemed. Suguru answered the door with a slight glare, leaning away from their overwhelming scent; his usual self, Akaashi supposed, but the lack of a chirpy Kuroo in the room alarmed him.

“Hey,” Bokuto broke the ice, grin not slipping off his face despite the obvious change of pace. “Where’s my girl at?!”

“Mommy,” Kiyoko called from the hallway, running past Suguru and jumping into Akaashi’s awaiting arms. “You’re back!”

“I missed you,” Akaashi told her, hugging his daughter sweetly as Bokuto ruffled her hair up. “Did you have fun? Were you good for Suguru and Kuroo-san?”

“Mhm!”

“Was she too much to handle, Kuroo?” Bokuto grinned, checking out the exhausted stance of his best friend as he walked up on them. “You look just like Akaashi by Friday evenings.”

“Not feeling too well today,” The omega shrugged. He wasn’t really in the mood to talk. “Kiyoko was really good, as usual. Didn’t give us any trouble at all.”

“Well, she didn’t want to drink her Ensure milk the first night, but I got her to drink it the rest of the time,” Suguru added. Little bastard.

“Kiyoko, you really let yourself be convinced by this punk?”

“He’s not a punk, Bokuto-san,” Kiyoko corrected. “He’s a prince.”

“WHAT?! Suguru, a _prince_?! Are you kidding me?!”

“Why don’t you get your stuff so we can head home, Kiyoko,” Akaashi rolled his eyes, nudging his daughter away. “Go on—we’ll wait right here.”

“Yes!”

Alarming Keiji further was the awkward silence that followed, Suguru all but ignoring Kuroo’s presence as the pair stood on opposite sides of the hallway, not speaking. Bokuto was still too caught up in ecstasy to notice anything but Akaashi, so he saw nothing wrong with the current picture, content to squeeze his omega’s hand when he thought no one was watching. The sight almost made Tetsurou sick, because he wanted to hold Suguru’s hand, but was too proud to do so.

“So…how was your weekend of fun?” Kuroo asked with a slight smile. “Which positions did you use? Did you bond? Get any noise complaints?”

“It was great!” Bokuto answered before his boyfriend could. “We didn’t bond or get noise complaints, but I tell you, Kuroo, this one is _super_ goo—”

Keiji stomped on Bokuto’s foot hard, getting a yelp from the obnoxious alpha and a snicker from Suguru. Tetsurou was sure he had never been more jealous of his best friend than right now: while he was getting more irritated at Daishou’s nonchalant attitude, Bokuto had just spent a weekend banging his hot omega boyfriend (who happened to be in heat) on every piece of furniture in the motel room, was a few months away from proposing to that same boyfriend, was now living with Akaashi and Kiyoko, and who also currently smelled like a pair very much in love with each other. Kuroo frequently wished he was more like Akaashi, telling him this often, but he vowed to never say what was on his mind right now—he wished he were Akaashi. Bokuto would never let their arguments get very far…

“So…how are you two doing?” Keiji asked wearily. The tension hadn’t eased itself even after all the joking and talks of sex.

“Yeah—how’s your fancy new relationship going?” Bokuto sneered, turning his nose away. “Probably pretty well, since Kuroo’s made it into the family will, now…whatever you say, I’m still being the godfather, even if I somehow end up homeless with no boyfriend and no future!”

“I won’t allow you to become homeless, Bokuto-san.”

“See?” The grey-haired college student grinned brightly, pointing at Akaashi. “See how he’s such a sucker for me, Kuroo?”

“Good for you. Now do me a favor and shut the door—you’re creating a draft.”

“I hope you’re not this crabby when the baby’s born. You’ll have worry lines before you hit thirty!”

“Whatever,” Kuroo huffed, patting Kiyoko’s head as she ran past them, carrying her bags and other belongings. “Text you later. Thanks for keeping us company, Kiyoko-chan.”

“Thank you for letting me stay, Kuroo-san,” The girl bowed happily. “And thank you, too, Suguru-san.”

“No problem.”

Suguru and Kuroo hadn’t so much as looked at each other since Bokuto and Akaashi’s arrival, standing on opposite sides of the entryway, scents nowhere near mingling; Kiyoko didn’t seem to notice, telling Akaashi that either things had been this way the entire weekend or just started now and she was too hyped to realize the change in atmosphere. Bokuto and Kiyoko began exchanging information on both their weekends, strolling off down the hallway and leaving Keiji to say goodbye on his own, eyes flickering between Suguru and Kuroo wearily.

“I hear there’s a storm coming towards Tokyo,” Akaashi warned them, though they were hardly listening. “Be careful if you drive anywhere, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Get home safely,” Tetsurou replied.

_Alright…separate answers it is._

“Thank you again for taking Kiyoko in. Have a good rest of your weekend.”

“You too, Kaashi.”

With one last bow, Akaashi was off, jogging down the hall to catch up with his daughter and boyfriend; Suguru shut the door, running off to the living room as Kuroo hid himself in the nursery.

 

They didn’t speak for the rest of the night.

 

Honestly, Kuroo didn’t spend a lot of his time thinking about their current predicament; he finished his homework, read more articles on young parenting and preparations for a first baby and did his stretches in hopes of easing the agonizing aches and pains constantly coursing through his body. He hardly noticed Suguru slept on the couch again, too busy trying to hold his pee in as long as possible before leaving the warm cocoon of the bedsheets—it felt as if Kuroo still lived with Bokuto and was spending a weekend alone, roommate off on a weekend trip with Akaashi and Kiyoko or something. The apartment remained silent and sullen for the entire night, Daishou tossing and turning while his anger silently grew underneath a cold exterior, fully prepared by the time day arrived; the alpha awoke at five in the morning, running on restless sleep and the mental reminder of starting work at eleven that did nothing to soothe his irritation. Suguru laid on that wretched couch for another hour until forcing himself onto his feet, aggressively whipping up some sort of breakfast while still fuming from a problem he didn’t give details about. He was angry at Kuroo—that was all he knew. He became even angrier when the omega himself came rolling out of bed at ten-fifteen in the morning, hair a mess, wrinkled pajamas still on when Tetsurou plopped down at the island, Suguru avoiding his gaze by finishing the dishes (which the journalist had neglected all weekend, Daishou remembered furiously). _If only I could sleep until ten_ , Suguru thought bitterly, stubbornly keeping his lips straight and tense. _My skin would be better, I wouldn’t have a care in the world about anything, not work or school. I wish I were lucky enough to be able to sleep in like him. But one of us has to be the adult here._

“Morning,” Tetsurou mumbled tiredly, leaning his head on the cool granite island. “Jeez…Shindo kicked the crap out of me last night again; I think he’s trying to get revenge on me for him being an unplanned child. Anyway…( _yawn_ )…Did you make breakfast?”

“Yes,” Daishou answered in a growl.

“Great—where’s mine?”

“In the garbage.”

Kuroo needed a long second to realize Suguru wasn’t kidding. He finally caught the still angry scent jolting through the entire apartment, a bit taken aback that whatever this argument was continued into the following day—whenever he and Bokuto fought, their misunderstandings never lasted more than a few hours. They would go to bed, wake-up the next morning, eat breakfast together and laugh at the entire situation. So why hadn’t that happened this time?

 _Right…because this isn’t Bokuto we’re talking about_ , Tetsurou realized, daring to peer up at Daishou’s back. _This is Suguru._

“What?” The omega questioned. “Why?”

“I put it on a plate and waited for you to come out and eat,” Suguru said simply, voice cold and void of emotion as he drained the sink. “You didn’t wake-up, so I threw it away.”

“Ever heard of waking someone up?”

“Why? So you could get pissed and tell your friends how terrible of a person I am?”

Daishou threw the dish towel down harder than necessary, storming out of the living room to enter the bedroom and pick out his clothing for the day as Kuroo sat at the table blankly, mouth hung open in shock and a familiar sense of annoyance. To think he was so close to forgetting about their little spat, only for Suguru to shove it back in his face in such a cruel way—didn’t that bastard know how much Tetsurou loved food at this point in his pregnancy? He would really let the omega pregnant with his son starve over a silly argument that began over some stupid milk and a few bad days? Considering how Suguru didn’t say another word or even acknowledge Kuroo’s presence as he got ready for work, the journalist guessed he didn’t really care whether Tetsurou ate or not. Kuroo didn’t find the alpha’s outfit cute today, rather finding his expensive-ass coat and pants infuriating, just like the good old days when they were bitter enemies; the omega’s glare sharpened while watching Daishou rush around gathering his things, ending in the hallway by the door where he grabbed the Acura keys before bending down to tie his shoelaces. Tetsurou followed him, arms crossed as he attempted to latch onto what little composure he had left at Suguru’s childish antics.

_Be an adult. Be an adult._

“Hey,” Kuroo addressed as Daishou stood, still not looking at the omega while buttoning his coat up. “When you get home tonight, we should…talk. About this. Whatever _this_ is, I mean…”

Nothing. Suguru tucked that stupid green scarf into his coat, not so much as blinking at Kuroo’s words.

“I’ll make us dinner, so don’t wor—”

Without giving a reply, Daishou stepped out of the apartment, slamming the door shut behind him as Tetsurou’s mouth fell open madly, a bitter laugh escaping his mouth.

“Oyaaaaa! So _that’s_ how it’s going to be, punk?!” Kuroo shouted at nobody, storming back into the bedroom to find some clothes. “Great! I’ll go somewhere I’m wanted, then!”

Tetsurou threw on whatever stretchy sweatpants he could find, refused to wear the mittens Suguru got him out of spite, grabbed his coat, bag and called one of his classmates up to see if they wanted to spend some time studying with him at the library. It wasn’t exactly where Kuroo felt wanted, but at the very least, he was away from anything that smelled like Daishou (though he couldn’t really escape from himself), hoping his classmate, an alpha, would have enough scent on him where any remnant of that snakeish bastard would be gone after a day of studying side by side. Kuroo took his fury over Suguru out on his studies, getting through three books, thirty-two articles and five videos before his classmate had to get going; it was five o’clock, which meant Daishou would be getting off soon, but Tetsurou didn’t care. Most other students left the library once dinner time arrived, but the black-haired omega didn’t. No. While the Nekoma nerd always cared about his grades, he cared an extensive amount today, vowing to never leave until he understood the meaning of life and how important it was for journalists like himself to document the meaning of life. Shindo helped remind him of snack breaks and potty breaks, keeping him company even when he was the last person remaining in the library, all other students gone on account of the increasingly cold weather going on outside. This isolation allowed Kuroo room to do his stretches without worrying about who was judging him.

Back at the apartment, a little after six in the evening, sun having already fallen for the day, Suguru Daishou was just returning home after a shitty day of answering phone calls and doing paperwork. His co-workers knew him well enough and chose not to bother the chaebol in fear of his sharp replies, frightening glares and dark aura shadowing the entire office. They pitied whoever chose to call their office that day and hoped they knew a good psychiatrist and wouldn’t allow one angry receptionist from keeping their business away. Eventually the fearful day ended, Suguru leaving in a rush, having heard Kuroo despite not replying to his idea earlier; he wanted to get home at a fairly decent hour so the omega wouldn’t have another reason to hate him, and so, sped home through the deep Tokyo snow with a tiny amount of compassion in his heart.

 _I said I would protect him_ , Suguru reminded himself, exhaling deeply as he approached their apartment door. _I have to protect him from my rage this time, no matter how irritated he makes me. Peasants don’t understand the clean lifestyle one should maintain—I have to keep reminding myself of this. Kuroo doesn’t know that you should do your dirty dishes at least once a day. He doesn’t get that you should do laundry more than once a month. He doesn’t understand that children have bedtimes, and especially if they aren’t your child, you should stick to that bedtime. Peasants don’t know any better. I better not use that word if I accidentally tell him that, though._

Daishou went to open the door, only to find it locked; his frown deepened, immediately thinking Kuroo was trying to keep him out of the apartment _he_ paid for every damn month. He slid his key out, entering the hallway and hearing nothing but silence—no TV on, no crying Koreans on any laptop screen, no kitchen utensils banging, no Beethoven music playing at an obnoxious level so Shindo could hear…nothing. Suguru set his car keys on the table in the hallway, suspiciously creeping through the kitchen and entering the living room, where there was no Kuroo again. The kitchen was the same as when he left it. _So he broke that promise already?_ Daishou bit his lip angrily, hurrying to every room and confirming that Kuroo was not, in fact, here at the present moment. The bed was still as messy as ever, as was the pile of clothing Tetsurou left lying next to the hamper for Suguru to clean later.

“I could kill that little bastard,” Daishou grumbled under his breath, pouting as he plopped down onto the couch, quiet surrounding him. “He couldn’t even leave Shindo here for me?”

At first, Suguru was willing to give Kuroo the benefit of the doubt, thinking he might be out getting dinner right now, but when twenty minutes passed with no text or no food, he reminded himself that this was the spiteful, cunning Nekoma captain they were talking about—Kuroo was totally leaving him in the dark just because he enjoyed getting a rise out of him. Since that was Suguru’s job, he whipped out his cell phone and texted Bokuto, demanding to know where that cat was so he could give him a piece of his mind.

 **slimy snake-penis suguru** : _where is kuroo     (6:32 p.m.)_

 **bitter bokuto** : _not sure. shudnt u know that and not me?     (6:34 p.m.)_

“Tch.”

 **slimy snake-penis suguru** : _I’m going to look for him. Txt me if he txts u      (6:37 p.m.)_

 **bitter bokuto** : _okay…       (6:39 p.m.)_

 **bitter bokuto** : _is everything alright between u two?      (6:40 p.m.)_

The chaebol stuffed his phone back into his pocket without replying and grabbed his car keys again; Suguru was beyond mad at this point, pissed that he now had to go searching for the very person who was driving him crazy as a snow storm was overcoming Tokyo traffic, making every turn and lane switch stressful as Daishou tried thinking of every possible place Kuroo could be. He tried the old coffee shop where the omega used to work, but he wasn’t there, the waiter told him. Suguru called his mother to see if Kuroo had went to her and Daisuke to whine about him, but Sora said she hadn’t heard from him, either. Daishou didn’t dare call Mori, not wanting to worry the alpha (and admit he lost his only child in the middle of a snow storm) and continued checking every place he knew Kuroo had visited at least once; he repeatedly called the journalist’s cell phone whenever his car was parked, to no avail. It would keep ringing and ringing until voicemail picked-up.

 _What restaurants does he like?_ Daishou wondered, fingers squeezing the wheel tightly as he drove by another nearby ramen place, not seeing Kuroo anywhere inside. _Why is he doing this to me? Doesn’t that idiot know it’s storming out? Does he want me to die in a car accident or something? I’m sure he’d like that. But he’s a sucker, so he’d feel guilty. Maybe I should just subtly turn into a snowbank and get myself in the hospital so he feels terrible—that outa get him to never piss me off again. Maybe._

 

When the clock finally stuck nine, Suguru’s anger was mixed with another infuriating emotion: concern.

 

The storm was getting worse. It was below freezing, the wind was really whipping the snow around and traffic was getting slower and slower to avoid any serious accidents; Suguru didn’t notice how quickly his heartbeat had sped-up during his search, frantically beating harder the longer time went on without any word from Tetsurou. Daishou thought maybe had something to Shindo, God forbid, and almost started dialing the phone number of every hospital in the area to see if Kuroo had been admitted. By the time he made his way around ten blocks of Tokyo, most people were cuddled up in their homes waiting out the cold weather—despite his fury, Suguru couldn’t just stop looking, continuing with his calls to Kuroo’s cell phone and waiting for Bokuto to text him back with information. The Acura did well against the heavy snow, but the tank was almost out of gas and the tires were packed with snow, which made it hard to turn on most corners if he didn’t go slow enough—

_Ding-dong, ding-dong_

Suguru immediately sped to the side of the road to park, whipping his phone out to find not a call from Kuroo, but from Bokuto.

“Where is he?” The chaebol spat.

“ _At the university library_ ,” Bokuto answered. _“I guess he was there studying all day.”_

“That fucking jerk,” Daishou hissed, forgoing all regard for his own safety as he stepped on the gas pedal, speeding back into traffic and heading towards the university. “He’s been there this entire time?”

_“Don’t tell him I told you, okay? And make sure you drive safely, the storm is going to be bad for a while! I think it’ll be blizzarding near midnight, so get Kuroo and go home—”_

“Thanks, bye.”

Sure enough, when Suguru finally ended-up at the library, storming inside and marching towards the only light source left on, a black-haired, pregnant omega was sitting at a desk leaning over a pile of books, reading intently without a care in the world. His phone sat to the side, texts and calls purposely missed with the exception of Bokuto’s. Daishou couldn’t believe how calm he looked, all alone in the library with no other soul in sight, a snow storm brewing outside—what if a horny alpha had stumbled their way inside? What if some homeless drug addict came in? What if anyone came in and tried hurting him, all because Kuroo was too fucking stubborn to answer a phone call from his enemy? Suguru had never been so enraged and relieved at one time, a single fuse away from exploding. He was sure he would pop the journalist’s head right off.

“ _Oy_ ,” Daishou snapped, a hot glare sent Kuroo’s way as the omega turned in his chair, eyes narrowed. Of course, this snake had to be the one to break his concentration. “Where the hell have you been?! It’s fucking storming out! I’ve been looking _all over_ trying to find you—I was worried sick!”

“Doubtful,” Tetsurou mumbled, shutting his book shut harder than necessary.

“What?”

“I said _doubtful_ —worried about Shindo, maybe, but not me.”

Suguru could only stand and stare as Kuroo collected his belongings casually, like there was nothing wrong with their perfect little world in the slightest; he put a hand on Shindo to balance himself, ducking into his jacket and walking past Daishou.

“Hey; did you know I’ve been looking for you for the past three hours? Where do you think you’re going, now?”

“I don’t know,” The omega shrugged as Daishou ran after him. “Maybe to Bokuto’s. Maybe to my dad’s. Anywhere you’re not.”

The pair stormed out together, entering the snow storm and bringing with their own blizzard as Kuroo hurriedly buttoned his jacket, aware that it was storming but not aware of how cold it was outside. He and Suguru stood on the icy sidewalk for a long moment, Daishou still maintaining his glare while his furious scent made itself known to Tetsurou through many gusts carrying its scent. The Acura was running and parked in front of the library, everyone else long since gone, leaving them the only people on the entire street, as everyone from the university had packed up and went home as well. Kuroo sure as hell wasn’t about to go home with Suguru, so he contemplated calling Bokuto just to piss the chaebol off even more; his plan didn’t succeed, however, because it really was freezing cold outside. Kuroo had no hat or mittens on, either. He wouldn’t last very long waiting for Bokuto to come pick him up.

Suguru only held in his anger by remembering the storm currently going on, though he didn’t feel the sharpness of the wind like Tetsurou did. He stepped towards the Acura and opened the passenger door, speaking lowly through the loud weather.

“Get in. I’ll take you home.”

Kuroo stared with disapproval, watching as snow rushed inside the heated car as Suguru waited, frozen hand gripping the door handle tightly as he waited for the jerk in front of him to stop being such a moron and get inside. Another minute passed, more snow wetting down the nice leather of the Acura seat while Tetsurou fought an inner battle.

“Are you forgetting that you’re pregnant, scum?” Daishou said louder, triggering the journalist’s attention. “Get in before I throw you in the backseat.”

At the mention of Shindo, something trembled inside Tetsurou; he glanced down worriedly, seeing his bulging stomach poking through the thick coat he wore, large snowflakes attempting to break through the barrier and do harm to thei— _his_ —unborn child. As much as Kuroo hated Suguru right now, he had to do what was best for the baby. Daishou slammed the door shut when the omega finally sat down in the passenger seat and hurried over to his side, saying not a word while turning back into Tokyo traffic. The radio wasn’t on, but the silence between Kuroo and Suguru had never been louder. There were so many insults and points Tetsurou wanted to make, but didn’t know where to start, and as for the chaebol, there was a lot of lectures he wanted to give the irresponsible omega, none that ended well for either of them. Not wanting to argue while he was trying to drive, Suguru remained silent, hoping they could continue their discussion at home, but Kuroo didn’t let them get very far before starting up again.

“You’re being a jackass, Suguru-kun,” Tetsurou mumbled, arms crossed over Shindo as he stared out the snowy window. “When we were taking care of Kiyoko, I was exhausted and sick and you still acted like a jerk. You’re the one who always goes on rants about good co-parenting all the time—why didn’t you take your own advice and practice patience?”

“Did it ever occur to you that I had a long day, too? I actually work for a living so you and Shindo can live with me.”

Kuroo snorted to himself at the mention of work, wanting to list off the Acura, the second apartment Suguru still had on hold, the title of heir at Daisuke’s accounting company, the Korean beauty products, the expensive wardrobe…yeah. Those certainly benefited Shindo a lot.

“Whatever. You should really re-evaluate the way you come off to people, snake-chan.”

“If this is how you’re going to behave whenever we have disagreements, I think _you’re_ the one who needs to evaluate yourself,” Suguru replied coldly, shaking his head. “You ran away like a child just to get back at me for this morning, and in the middle of a snow storm I had to chase after you, like always. Who’s the immature one, here?”

Suguru felt the omega’s hazel eyes turn towards him but refused to let himself be sucked in by their hurt expression, keeping his eyes locked on the icy roads ahead. They didn’t speak another word the entire drive, pulling into the parking lot silently as Daishou shut the engine off, ignoring his gas light as he and Tetsurou both slammed their doors shut as hard as possible. No one else was around as the boys headed to the elevator, relieved by the warmth they found, though it wasn’t from each other. Suguru wanted to make sure Kuroo and Shindo were warm enough, wanted to put his jacket over the omega’s shoulders—he almost caved, his love for the stupid journalist outweighing his anger, but then he reminded himself about when Kuroo said he wondered how hard Bokuto could fuck him and the feeling of love went away quickly.

It was probably the worst elevator ride of Suguru’s life—and he was a business major.

When the doors slid open, Daishou stepped out onto their floor quietly, hurrying down the hall as Kuroo lumbered after him at a slow, thoughtful pace. His cheeks and hands were red from the cold, but he hardly felt the unpleasant sensation. Suguru kept walking, so caught up in his own thoughts he almost didn’t hear the omega.

 

“Why did we think we could do this?”

 

Daishou stopped, slowly turning around with his fists at his sides; Kuroo had stopped a few feet back, staring down at the carpet as an emotion other than anger filled his eyes and voice. That was what he had been trying so hard to prevent over the past twenty-four hours—he wanted to feel angry because if he didn’t feel angry, Tetsurou knew he would feel depressed. Things were no longer the same as in high school or even in August. They couldn’t fight and say that was their usual behavior. Fights meant something different, now, because _they_ meant something different to each other. It hurt Kuroo more than he wanted to ever admit, so he had tried blocking his pain out in favor of anger.

In the end, sadness had won out.

“Why did we think we could have a normal relationship when we’ve been incompatible from the start?” The journalist wondered out-loud. “Why would we risk it when there’s so much to lose…when there’s so much for Shindo to lose? How could we fool ourselves into thinking _this_ would ever work, Suguru?”

“Hurry up and get inside,” Daishou simply mumbled, not reacting to the statement in the slightest, using the same method as Tetsurou. Just as he reached inside his coat pocket for their apartment key, a sharp yell from Kuroo finally reached his ears.

“Hey!”

The chaebol whipped around, green eyes glowing through the shadowed hallway.

“ _Asshole_!” Kuroo tried hissing, though it turned into an angry whimper that triggered all his frustration and tears. “Listen to me when I’m talking to you!”

“Why should I? All you ever do is complain or tease me about myself, the way I am—why should I even bother listening to you anymore?”

“Because I’m having your fucking child, Suguru, does that mean _anything_ to you?!”

“Of course it does, idiot,” Daishou grumbled, taking a dangerous step closer. “It makes me lose sleep at night, knowing _you’re_ the one I’m stuck in this mess with.”

“Haha! What a fucking joke!” Kuroo spat back. He pointed an accusing finger at the alpha, though a shot of pain jolted through his weakened heart again. “You think _I_ don’t lose sleep over it, knowing my son might grow up to be exactly like you, a spoiled, arrogant brat who shits on everyone because he’s inheriting a big fancy business—”

“ _Fuck_ you and your mood swings,” The alpha glared hotly, turning around on his heels to leave. Tetsurou hurried after him furiously, ready to grab Suguru by his hair and make the bastard listen. “I don’t know why _I_ thought we could ever work together—we’re polar opposites when it comes to responsibility.”

“Oh, you wanna make this about _responsibility_ , Daishou?”

Kuroo angrily forced Suguru to turn around, those green, narrowed eyes never resembling a snake’s more than this moment, preying upon Tetsurou as he felt more angry words spewing from his mouth. Every terrible thing he ever thought about the alpha out of spite, every insult he knew wasn’t true came flooding to the surface, no longer held back by any lingering feelings of affection towards Suguru. It hurt Tetsurou as much as it hurt Daishou himself.

“If I could raise Shindo on my own, I’d be _so_ much happier; I could work for a living, I could stay with my dad and not have to deal with your family’s drama all the time. I wouldn’t have to be afraid of walking on egg shells whenever I’m near my worst enemy, and I wouldn’t have to share my bathroom or iron your fucking thousand dollar jackets every morning—and I _don’t_ have fucking mood swings. I’m just a pregnant, broke college student with no fucking future—”

“Oy!” Suguru shouted in his face, eyes widening. “Don’t talk about our ba—”

“Quit saying ‘ours’!” Kuroo roared back, straightening his posture in a challenging stance. “Nothing here is ‘ours,’ Suguru! The apartment is _yours_ , the closet is _yours_ , the savings account is _yours_ , the fucking _car_ is yours—”

“Oh my god!” The alpha laughed incredulously, hands moving into his hair. “Do _not_ make this conversation about money again, Kuroo.”

“Well, isn’t it?! Babies cost money, don’t they?! And obviously since you have more, it only makes sense that you’ll be awarded primary care taker when you sue me for custody someday.”

“Shut _up_ , Kuroo. You’re blowing things way out of proportion, here.”

The boys huffed from emotional exhaustion as a short moment of silence hovered over their area. Green eyes glared at hazel from a few feet away, Suguru’s body so tensed and coiled Kuroo was sure he would lunge out like a serpent any second, now. The chaebol was the first to speak again, mumbling in an insulted tone.

“How dare you say the baby isn’t ours…”

Kuroo wasn’t sure why he said what he said in response but did so anyway.

“We’re not a fucking couple, Daishou.”

“Of course we aren’t,” Suguru replied carelessly, injuring Tetsurou just as much as the omega had him. “But it took two to make a child, Tetsurou.”

“Save it.”

“And you say you don’t have mood swings…”

Kuroo had enough. With a final pout and a bite of his lips to keep from screaming more and waking their neighbors, the journalist stuffed his hands back into the pockets of his coat and turned around. Suguru finally realized he was walking away from their discussion when Tetsurou didn’t turn back around after strutting ten-feet down the hall.

“Where are you going? It’s blizzarding out, moron!” Suguru called, chasing after the pregnant omega. Kuroo didn’t stop upon hearing him, however, continuing down the hallway like he could care less. “Hey! Didn’t you hear me?”

The alpha grabbed onto Tetsurou’s wrist, only for his grip to be pried off almost violently, arm shoved away as Kuroo kept advancing towards the elevator.

“Fucking— _stop_ , Kuroo! I’m trying to talk to you!”

He didn’t stop until Suguru caught up and angrily grabbed onto his arms again, stopping the omega by pinning his heavy body against the nearest wall; Kuroo struggled immediately, desperately trying to worm his hands away from Daishou’s snake-like grip, to no avail. They squirmed against each other’s grip, one trying to maintain his hold and the other furiously trying to escape it. Tetsurou remembered glancing across the court and seeing that stupid, filthy smirk of success on those blood-stained lips after hitting a spike directly at someone’s head, the arrogance and horrid display of emotion enough to make every Nekoma member’s blood boil—

“Quit acting like a fucking baby and get a grip!”

“Let go!” Kuroo yelled, shoving a shoulder forward to try and push Suguru away. “I said let go!”

“Would you stop and _listen_ to me so we can talk this out?!”

“Fuck—you!”

 

Kuroo finally pried the serpent’s grip off, only to use his own hands and push Daishou a good distance away from him, unknowingly snapping the last bit of Suguru’s patience.

 

Everything happened in slow motion—a flash of fury overcame the green of the chaebol’s eyes, turning them a sickly emerald color as Tetsurou tried using the half-second of silence to regain his breath; he hadn’t so much as exhaled when a pair of arms suddenly trapped him against the wall, palms slapping against the paint, noise ringing through the omega’s ears. He went to glance up at Suguru, ready for another fight, only for all words to die in his throat. Kuroo could only stand and gape as an enormous, overpowering cloud of total dominance assaulted his entire body, every last one of his senses. Daishou didn’t have to give a single command, the devastating aura of absolute control enough of a message to freeze Kuroo where he stood; that chaebol scent wasn’t the same as before. It was overriding, indisputable, leaving little room for disobedience or refusal. It was the type of scenting that wasn’t meant to calm an omega or beta. It was used only to gain control and force someone to submit. The power behind Suguru’s forceful scent caused Kuroo’s knees to suddenly become weak, loss of power leaving his body without effort, fully ready and prepared for submission as he slid towards the ground, trembling against the wall while the omega’s mind desperately attempted to wrap itself around the current situation.

On Daishou’s side, the only sensation he felt through that bleak, numb feeling surrounding him was an itch of power, a growing desire to see this disobedient being crumble beneath him; Suguru experienced this drive before, but not in such capacity. He felt it during business class sometimes, whenever he seriously considered inheriting Daisuke’s business, but never in the case of alpha-omega situations. His hands remained boxing Kuroo in until his scent finally got through to the journalist, blurry figure sliding downward and out of his line of vision, though the serpent’s furious eyes followed blankly, body still sending waves and waves of furious authority into Tetsurou’s weakening figure. A boiling anger, a need to control this environment ate Suguru up in the worst way possible, forcing him to continue until his frustrations were relieved, until whoever was the cause of his rage ceased their temptation. The world was silent and numb until a startling noise broke through the barrier surrounding Daishou.

_sniffle…whimper…whimper…_

It was Suguru’s turn for his entire body to jolt. After his eyelids shut for a long moment, the chaebol felt like a cool rush of water had struck him in the face, forcing his gaze downwards as the possessive cloud burst; Daishou was shocked to see Kuroo cuddled against the wall, body trembling, arm wrapped protectively over his stomach as the journalist dared to look up, hazel eyes brimming with hot tears as soft whimpers continued escaping his lips.

“I-I’m sorry,” Tetsurou cried. He didn’t know why an apology was flittering from his mouth, but instinct told him that was the way out of this frightening situation. “Sorry, a-alpha…I’m sorry…”

Kuroo’s cries turned into a loud gasp when Suguru stumbled backwards, running into the opposite wall as he simultaneously stopped himself from forcing the pregnant omega to submit, releasing any pressure on Tetsurou, though the aftermath was just as bad. Daishou huffed against the wall, fingernails digging into the paint while Kuroo caught his breath, a few tears slipping out when the entire situation fell upon his shoulders—how had things escalated so quickly for them? After all they’d been through together, the months they spent secretly pining, flirting and sleeping together…how was it possible that days after officially announcing their relationship, they were now fighting in the hallway, yelling at each other and forcing the other to submit using instinctual force…

Through it all, how did Kuroo still have feelings towards Daishou?

“I………I…”

Kuroo shot up onto his shaking legs, hurrying down the hallway and refusing to wait for an excuse from Suguru, who opened his mouth to call out, but his mind knew better; all the while, Kuroo’s chest ached something fierce, he could feel Shindo moving around uncomfortably inside his stomach, could practically hear the winter winds whipping around outside when he finally made it to the elevator, fingers trembling as they furiously pressed the button leading to the lobby. He couldn’t stop shaking. The tears kept coming, too, but his heart hurt worst of all, that terrible, dominating scent still lingering around he and Shindo…

 _How could he do that to me?_ Kuroo wondered, wiping his river of tears and attempting to collect his physical strength back. _Was it my fault? Did I push him to that point? No, no…we’re both in the wrong. But how could he force me to submit, like I’m just a whore his prince ass used for breeding another heir?_

The amount of offence Tetsurou felt from the incident was almost too much to bear. When he finally plopped into a seat in the lobby, he dialed the number of the one person he knew would help; Bokuto answered on the second ring, just as Kuroo fell into the midst of hatred for himself, acting like such a pathetic, pregnant loser running away from his problems…

 _“I was right!”_ Koutarou cheered on the other line, skipping a greeting. _“Akaashi says Kiyoko never forgets to pack all her things, but this time I knew she would forget! What did she forget?!”_

“B-Bokuto,” Tetsurou sobbed, desperately trying to get a grip on his croaky voice. “I ne-need y-your help.”

There was silence on the other end for a long moment, a soft echo of Akaashi’s voice in the background as Bokuto took-in the tone of voice his best friend used, the pain in his tone.

_“…Are you okay, Kuroo? Did Suguru find you? Are you hurt?!”_

“Can—Can you just c-come get me, please?”

 _“Sure,”_ Bokuto said quietly, seriously. Now was not the time to ask questions as to why, no matter how badly he needed to know. _“I’ll be right over. Want me to stay on the line?”_

“N-No…I…I’ll be o-okay…th-thanks.”

_“No problem. You’re at your apartment, right? Stay there, I’ll drive over in a few minutes, alright?”_

Kuroo sniffled in agreement, hanging up before Koutarou could ask anything else. The phone nearly fell from his shaking hands as the omega began rubbing a restless Shindo tenderly, using his other hand to cover his face; _I should have seen this coming_ , Tetsurou thought, stomach dropping with guilt. _I knew this would happen and yet, I risked it all anyway…worst of all, I risked Shindo’s happiness. I ruined his chance at having two solid co-parents because…because WHAT?_

 _Because you’re in love with Suguru_ , another voice commented.

_No. No, I’m not. I don’t want to be in love with him anymore. Not after he…_

The journalist willed himself not to think about it anymore, content to cry his heart out until Bokuto arrived and ushered him into the heated car—Akaashi and Kiyoko were waiting at home with hot coco and a warm meal for their friend, prepared for the snow storm just beginning to fully surge outside on the streets of Tokyo while Suguru remained sitting against the hallway wall, head buried into his knees until Sora Suguru called, inviting he and Kuroo over for dinner. He drove to Nohebi through the snow without flinching, arriving completely alone before locking himself in his childhood room praying for the storm to pass quickly.

~~~-~~~

The bustling city of Tokyo was forced to slow down in accommodation towards the blizzard surging through the town violently, snowing many businesses in and making the roads difficult to clear. Everyone was cooped up, free from schooling duties for a few days and content to sit inside where it was warm and cozy; Kuroo felt bad for being such a burden to Akaashi and Bokuto, but they assured him there was no better way to spend a snowy week than with an extra person around to play with Kiyoko. Tetsurou didn’t feel much like playing princess, though, and spent most of his time with Bokuto laying on Kiyoko’s tiny bed, staring out the window he stared out so often when living with Bokuto. He and Shindo watched the winter winds whip by, blowing snow all over the place. This habit continued for two full days before Koutarou finally convinced the omega to watch a movie with them, which distracted Kuroo from thoughts over Suguru for at least an hour, though Akaashi was still concerned that he was reminded of the serpent whenever someone mentioned reptiles or vampires.

Suguru, meanwhile, was stuck at home hating himself.

Daisuke and Sora knew better than to bug their son when he got into moods like this, but were surprised at how softly he spoke during thirty-second conversations; shame wasn’t usually an emotion they saw on Suguru, and Sora guessed it had something to do with Kuroo and the baby, though judging on the time-bomb hidden behind her son’s eyes she figured it was a good idea to bring up the subject later. He spent most of his time cooped-up in his childhood room sulking, nervously pacing, holding his phone even though there were no notifications, rejecting food offerings in a whisper, shaking his head at other friendly offers, preferring to lay on his bed and think. Suguru really missed Shindo. He missed talking to him, playing him music, calming him down whenever he got a little restless…he felt torn apart, not being there to protect the baby and Kuroo, not being beside them for warmth and comfort, because he really missed that little shit Kuroo, too. _It’s my own fault for being such a piece of work_ , Daishou sighed, burying his head into the nearest pillow. He had yet to change clothes from that night. _How could I be blind enough to not see that we were both just tired and cranky? Why did I let it go so far? Some business major I am. Some father I am._

The chaebol had been relentlessly abusing himself ever since the first night of the storm, had cried into the bedsheets a lot, pinched himself as revenge and stared at pictures of he and Kuroo on his phone like a loser. The only thing that could make him feel worse would be if Kuroo had told Mori about their little spat and asked the older alpha to call Suguru and chew his ass out. Daishou knew he deserved it, but a small part of him hoped Tetsurou kept his ranging emotions to himself. Or at least between he and Bokuto. _Maybe I should tell Mom what happened_ , Daishou wondered, rolling onto his back. _But if I tell her, she’ll tell Dad and then they’ll both chew me out for what I did. Yes, I deserve it, but I’ve already called myself every bad name in the book, so could they let me off just this once?_

The chaebol rolled back on his stomach and hesitantly grabbed his phone, scrolling over the last texting conversation he had with Kuroo over five days before; of _course_ he wanted to call Tetsurou and apologize for what he did, but there wasn’t a good chance he would even pick up, and if he didn’t pick up, Bokuto probably would and go on a violent rant about all the terrible things he was going to do to Suguru. Still rightfully deserved, but right now, Daishou didn’t care. He just wanted to know if Shindo and Kuroo were somewhere safe for the storm. This was the excuse the alpha used as he typed out a new sentence and hit send before he could regret it, hiding behind a pillow as he waited for a response.

Tetsurou had been staring out that same window when his phone suddenly rang, signaling a text from He Who Must Not Be Named. It took him a long moment to realize who that specific ringtone belonged to, but when it finally registered, Kuroo sat up abruptly, heart pounding immediately as he stared wide-eyed at his cell phone.

“Shit,” The omega cursed quietly, pulling back his hand when instinct told him to grab the object. “I finally planned out the rest of my single-parenting life, and now he has to text me…”

Tetsurou felt Shindo kick at his stomach, apparently protesting against his mother not answering the text; Kuroo had half a mind to call Bokuto in here to answer, but there was no way that would end well, so, following Shindo’s advice, the omega gave a deep sigh and curled up under the bedsheets while opening the text from Daishou.

 **sugar daddy suguru** : _please tell me you’re okay    (2:38 p.m.)_

“Tch. That’s not worth answering.”

The journalist closed his eyes while setting his phone back down on the mattress, only for the ringer to go off again a few minutes later.

 **sugar daddy suguru** : _im sorry, kuroo, just tell me you’re okay     (2:44 p.m.)_

Tetsurou sighed dramatically, groaning into his pillow because he _really_ wanted to answer with a snappy, sarcastic reply. That was what he would usually do, but…that night. He couldn’t get that night out of his head. The violent scent, the dominant stance, the dark glow in Suguru’s eyes as he forced Kuroo to submit in the hallway after some stupid miscommunications that lead to a stupid, worthless fight. Tetsurou still felt pain burst through his chest every hour or so, the memory still fresh in his heart, and probably in Shindo’s as well, since he had been quiet and mostly agreeable since they arrived at Bokuto’s. It was just as Kuroo had told Suguru—they were incompatible from the start of their relationship, way back in high school. Every flaw became more obvious the longer they lived together, struggled through their strange, but somehow loving relationship while Tetsurou prepared himself to deliver their child…the wound of a happy ending being destroyed was still wide open. Even so, Kuroo couldn’t deny that he cared about Suguru, and relented after a few minutes of contemplation.

 **kawaii kuroo** : _at bo’s      (2:49 p.m.)_

Daishou texted back almost immediately, shocked that he received a reply.

 **sugar daddy suguru** : _good. baby okay?    (2:49 p.m.)_

 **kawaii kuroo** : _fine     (2:50 p.m.)_

The door to Kiyoko’s room suddenly opened, prompting Kuroo to hide his phone under the covers like a teenager watching something they shouldn’t have been—Bokuto’s head peeked inside, entering when he saw that his friend was awake.

“Hey,” The alpha greeted mildly, plopping down on the tiny pink bed as Kuroo scrunched himself inwards towards Shindo to make room. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay, I guess,” Tetsurou mumbled.

“Great—then I’ll get right to the point.”

Kuroo raised a suspicious eyebrow at his friend, whose expression was a little too serious for the omega to handle. Bokuto deep in thought was always a little strange.

“You know…after you told me what happened between you and Suguru, I wanted to hunt that bitch down and rip him limb from limb, like I promised him I would,” Koutarou explained thoughtfully, scaring Kuroo for a moment. “But now that we’ve had a few days to think about everything…I think you should go back home.”

“ _What_? Are kidding me, Bo? Did you not hear a wo—”

“Yeah, I did, _Kuroo_ , and I still think you should go back home and talk this out with Suguru.”

“I cannot believe you’re betraying me like this,” Tetsurou said in shock, pain radiating through his chest when he believed Bokuto to be taking Suguru’s side. “You want me to go back like some loser who can’t take care of himself? You want me to apologize, too?”

“No way! You’ve got me all wrong, Kuroo!” Bokuto insisted, murmuring something about hormones under his breath. “You admitted you were both in the wrong, that it wasn’t _entirely_ Suguru’s fault for what happened that night—I’m just saying…well—remember when you admitted to me that you were in love with Suguru?”

“Don’t remind me.”

“Oh, I’m gunna remind you for the rest of your life, baby. Anyway, remember when you told me that?”

“…Yes,” The omega mumbled sadly.

“Well, I know even after all this shit, you still feel that way for him, don’t you?”

Kuroo should have been shocked by this revelation, but honestly, Bokuto was way smarter than him when it came to romance shit like this. He had Akaashi and Kiyoko, after all. The omega stared at his best friend with wide, glossy eyes, heart aching at the truth of Bokuto’s statement: Kuroo really fucking missed Suguru. He had been going crazy here, not having any of the alpha’s clothing to smell, to wrap himself in, not having Daishou’s stupidly handsome face to kiss and make fun of, not being anywhere near the chaebol’s irritatingly alluring body…Kuroo hated himself for thinking that way, but after Bokuto so blatantly pointed the fact out, Kuroo realized those thoughts weren’t what he was thinking at all—they were what he felt.

How had Koutarou figured that out before him?

The alpha was content to watch his friend put the puzzle pieces together, a few light tears slipping from his hazel eyes.

“So?” Bokuto asked hopefully. “Will you and baby boy go home tomorrow, after the storm’s over?”

“Y-You really want me out of here that badly?” Kuroo chuckled weakly.

“Um, _yeah_ —Akaashi and I are still recovering from our weekend of fun! The party doesn’t exactly stop even after Akaashi’s heat is over—”

“Please stop.”

Bokuto snickered joyfully before throwing himself on top of Kuroo’s body, immediately warming he and Shindo up while also nearly forcing Kuroo’s pee out. That only made the omega want to cry even more, knowing there was always a place for him to fall back to if he couldn’t work things out with Suguru. They could always raise Kiyoko and Shindo as siblings and maybe become a threesome one day, if Akaashi was into that. Maybe Bokuto could talk him into it.

“You’re the best, Bokuto,” Tetsurou mumbled, throwing his arms around the bulky alpha in a hug. “If I was smart I would’ve fallen for you, instead.”

“Duh. But enough emotional talk for now! We’ve got to get you prepared for your face-off with the snake boy—now, don’t let him get away with what he did, understand? Stick to your guns, but do so in an accepting, spiteful type of way. That lets him know you aren’t going to let him mess with you.”

“Where’d you learn that from? Some doctor show?”

“No, jerk!” Bokuto wailed, poking Kuroo’s side as retaliation. “I came up with that myself, for your information!”

“Yeah right. You’re full of it.”

“And you’re full of meat buns and a baby!”

Akaashi found the pair near dinnertime all curled up on Kiyoko’s princess bed singing pop songs to Shindo; he was going to interrupt to tell them the storm was dying down, but decided against it when he realized Kuroo was smiling for the first time since arriving at their sanctuary. Bokuto had that effect on people. Hours later, after the pregnant omega had fallen asleep early and peacefully, the alpha of the home finally emerged back into the living room, where Kiyoko was just starting to get sleepy while lying on the couch with her mother.

“I think those kids will be okay,” Koutarou sighed, plopping down beside them and throwing an arm around Akaashi’s shoulder. “But _jeez_ , are they a dramatic match made in heaven or what? No way we would ever be that crazy if we had a fight!”

“Well… _one_ of us would be, Bokuto-san.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Akaashi distracted from his point by pulling the surprised alpha in for a long kiss, Kiyoko giggling beneath them as a stupid expression washed over Bokuto’s face.

“Never mind,” Keiji whispered. “You helped Kuroo out a lot this week…I’m proud of you.”

“Oh…well, it was nothing, really…I am the godfather, after all!”

“You’re also Kiyoko’s father, so help me put her to bed.”

“Right away!” Bokuto shot up off the couch, snatching Kiyoko and throwing her over his shoulder as a surge of energy went through his body after Akaashi called him a father. “Let’s get to sleep, hoot hoot!”

“Bokuto-san, no!” The little girl squealed as they barged into her room, waking Kuroo up in the process.

“You’re sleeping with Kuroo and the baby tonight,” Akaashi heard Bokuto tell her as he sighed, walking past their room to enter his own. “Kaashi and I have a lot of making up to do!”

“That’s a bunch of crap,” Kuroo’s voice grumbled. “Help me up, would ya? Shindo and I have to pee really badly.”

“Fine, fine, but only because I don’t want you wetting Kiyoko’s bed!”

 _We’re certainly all lucky to have Bokuto_ , Akaashi thought with a smile.

 

Back at the Suguru residence, Sora was getting concerned at the amount of pacing her son was doing upstairs, hearing his footsteps echo for a solid hour, settling down for a minute and then starting back up again. Daisuke was brainstorming ways to prompt the subject when Suguru would hardly show his face for longer than a minute; he had yet to come up with anything by the time Sora finally had enough.

“I can’t stand this anymore!” The usually soft-spoken woman nearly shouted, startling her husband from where he sat on the couch. “Daisuke—go up there and talk to your son!”

“…As good of an idea as that sounds, dear, have you forgotten that Daishou is still upset with me?”

“I don’t care. You’re going up there to find out what’s gotten him so depressed before I start crying!”

“Okay, okay,” Daisuke relented, standing up and putting his hands on his wife’s shoulders to calm her down. “I’ll go up there and see if I can find anything out. Just calm down, okay? Daishou’s an adult, now—he can probably handle his own misgivings.”

“Who are you trying to kid, Dai?” Sora groaned, lowering her head. “He’s a child! He needs nurturing!”

“I think he’s had quite enough nurturing, but alright.”

“Hurry, before he wears out those new slippers I got him!”

“I’m going…”

Daisuke pulled himself upstairs and towards his son’s room, exhaling quickly before he knocked lightly, pushing the door open when he received no reply; the sound of pacing was gone, replaced by silence that made Daisuke very suspicious. As it turns out, Suguru was no longer pacing, but lying face down on the carpet like a snake fatigued from shedding its scales. Daisuke was a bit disturbed at how quiet his son was being and coughed to break the silence.

“Um…Daishou? You okay?”

Suguru mumbled into the carpet in an angry tone, throwing his body to the side so he could lie on his back; Daisuke wanted to point out that his son had been crying, but that would be a nasty thing to do, so the businessman relented. How did he start a conversation without triggering Suguru into one of his famous bad moods?

“Your mother is worried about you. Why don’t you go downstairs and tell her what’s wrong?” Daisuke commented innocently.

“I can’t.”

Daishou’s answer was too quick. That’s how his father knew he was thinking up here and not just wallowing in self-pity like usual.

“Why not?” The older alpha asked.

“Because _everything’s_ wrong,” Suguru said pathetically, covering his face in shame. “There’s no point in telling her everything when she can’t fix it…”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll feel better if you told someone about your…issues.”

That remark earned Daisuke a sharp glare, those red eyelids clarifying the suspicion that Suguru had been crying lately. Daisuke coughed again to break the awkward silence, unsure how to continue their attempt at conversation when the first try had been shut down pretty quickly. Daishou continued lying on the floor in his own little world, content to not be content with how sick he felt about everything. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t know where he wanted to be, though, and it was starting to drive him a little crazy. Suguru knew he didn’t deserve to be anywhere after what he did to Kuroo, that empty feeling still eating him apart, piece by piece, inch by inch of his muscles and bones as the memory of Tetsurou cowering below him, trembling head to toe assaulted every thought flashing through the alpha’s mind until he felt like putting a pillow over his head until everything went black—

“Is Kuroo somewhere safe for the storm?” Daisuke asked, seeing Suguru twitch and force his eyes open further. His father figured he would get the drama over with. “Did he go to his father’s for the weekend?”

“No…he’s at Bokuto’s.”

“Ah. You didn’t want to go with him and the baby?”

Daishou went silent again, eyes flickering in concern and more hatred for himself when he realized he had almost forgotten about Shindo. How could he forget his son’s existence? How could he forget about Shindo during he and Kuroo’s fight back at the apartment? Maybe things would have played out differently if Suguru was smart enough to remember why they were in this situation to begin with. Was Shindo scared when he felt his mother’s body reacting in such a terrible way? Had it negatively affected his development, being taken away from Suguru and rushed off to a place where his father’s scent didn’t exist, and where his mother’s was agitated? The younger alpha’s body went limp at these thoughts, mouth hovering open without a reply as Daisuke stood in the doorway, waiting for an answer.

“Daishou?”

“Yes,” His son replied in a whisper. “I…I _did_ want to go with Kuroo and the baby.”

“So, why didn’t you?” Daisuke wondered.

Suguru didn’t answer this time. His thoughts were preoccupied with terrifying images of bad co-parenting, having to visit Shindo in a supervised building, only getting to visit once every two months, never getting to spend more than five hours with his son, never allowed to attend birthday parties or first days of school, never allowed to sleep beside him in a tiny toddler bed, never coming within ten-feet of Kuroo ever again— _no_ , Daishou trembled. _I can’t let that happen. I need to make it up to Kuroo. I’ll do anything if it means I can still be in Shindo’s life. I have to be in his life. I’ll do whatever it takes, I’ll do whatever Kuroo tells me to, as long as I can continue to watch my son grow-up from the sidelines. I’ll do anything to gain his trust again._

_Even if it kills me inside._

~~~-~~~

The snow storm finally ceased its anger sometime during the night, and the following afternoon Kuroo got dressed and prepared himself to return home, where he assumed Suguru was; Akaashi, Bokuto and he went over every defense mechanism and every form of confidence they could think of, trying to create a strong wall for the omega to use against Suguru. Honestly, Bokuto was pretty sure the little chaebol bitch would cave once he saw Kuroo again (prompting him to use Akaashi’s make-up stash on his best friend), but a little back-up never hurt anybody. Secretly, before everyone woke up Bokuto snuck into the bathroom and sent a text to He Who Must Not Be Named himself, who was just about to get in his Acura and head back towards the city center when his phone rang. Thinking it was Kuroo, Suguru glanced at the screen in a hurry, and even though it wasn’t Kuroo texting, the chaebol’s heart still pounded.

 **bitchy bokuto** : _kuroo’s coming home!!! Ur sorry ass better get on ur hands and knees 4 forgivenss      (6:27 a.m.)_

Daishou’s eyes widened considerably before he hurriedly texted back.

 **snitchbitch suguru** : _I will. When is he going back?      (6:28 a.m.)_

 **bitchy bokuto** : _wat do u mean ‘going back?’ aren’t u home?      (6:29 a.m.)_

 **snitchbitch suguru** : _no. @ my parent’s house.     (6:30 a.m.)_

 **snitchbitch suguru** : _I’ll pick him up some dinner; I’ve got something in the city this afternoon.     (6:31 a.m.)_

 **bitchy bokuto** : _u better be there, or else hulk smash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!       (6:32 a.m.)_

 **snitchbitch suguru** : _y did u use so many exclamation marks? noob.      (6:33 a.m.)_

 **snitchbitch suguru** : _I’ll be home around 6     (6:33 a.m.)_

 **bitchy bokuto** : _good. and dont call me noob!!!!!!!!!!!     (6:34 a.m.)_

Following Bokuto’s helpful (though he wouldn’t tell Akaashi in fear of getting in trouble) conversation with the serpent in question, everyone woke up and had breakfast with Kiyoko before her mother took her to school, a feat Akaashi was eager for, since even toddlers as calm as his daughter did not do well cooped-up for three days straight; after a full afternoon of mental preparation, Bokuto announced that Kuroo was ready, and demanded he text Suguru as they drove over to the apartment complex.

“Just text him to see what he says,” The alpha insisted, trying to grab Kuroo’s phone from his grip while driving. “Maybe you guys can solve this entire thing without seeing each other face to face! As much as I want to see Suguru cry—”

“He won’t friggin cry, Bokuto, he’s a punk ass bitch with an attitude even bigger than mine.”

“Unfortunately, you’re right, Kuroo, but from what I’ve witnessed Suguru is also a sucker. I bet you a hundred yen he’ll cry his eyes out and apologize. He might even buy you a new car as an apology!”

“Doubtful,” Tetsurou sighed, looking out at the snowy streets wistfully. “I’m just not looking forward to…you know. The first moment. The first time we’ll be seeing each other after…what happened.”

It was true. Kuroo was terrified his fear of Suguru would return once they got within five-feet of each other, close enough to smell their scents—he was scared he wouldn’t be able to be near Daishou without remembering that petrifying anxiety, the submissiveness Kuroo never thought he would ever feel towards the chaebol. The first moment would probably solidify whatever remained of their relationship. Bokuto sensed Tetsurou’s feelings and lightly scented him from across the armrest, shooting him an encouraging smile as they pulled up to the dooming apartment building.

“Here we go,” Kuroo exhaled deeply, hand holding onto the handle tightly. “Are you ready down there, Shindo?”

“ _I’m ready, mommy!_ ” Bokuto replied in an obnoxious baby voice. “ _Don’t sleep with daddy no matter what he buys you!_ ”

“Shut up…”

“Hehe.”

Kuroo sighed once more and forced himself out of the car, touching Shindo for balance as Bokuto rolled the window down despite the cold temperature.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” The alpha asked in concern. “I don’t have any problem kicking some snake ass once in a while.”

“It’ll be fine. I’ll call you later, okay?”

“You got it, bro.”

Kuroo couldn’t help but smile down at his best friend, despite the current perilous situation they were in, despite how cold it was outside.

“I know I’ve said it a million times, but thanks, Bokuto. I don’t know if I could make it through this without you.”

Tears sprung up in those golden eyes before Koutarou could stop them, making Tetsurou roll his eyes and give a final wave; how did Akaashi deal with this guy’s wild emotions all the time?

“Godfather’s shouldn’t cry, Bo.”

“S-Shut up!”

The car sped away from Kuroo’s apartment building and into the snowy streets, merging with the ever-so-busy Tokyo traffic as the omega remained where he was, just thinking for a moment. Suguru would be in their apartment when he got upstairs. Suguru, who had gotten angry and forced him to submit like they were in the olden days, where omegas had to have permission to breathe from their alphas…Suguru, who knocked Kuroo up during a half-drunken night of pleasure and accidental passion, who slept in the same bed as him, who scented and kissed him and protected him from freaks. Suguru Daishou, whom Kuroo played volleyball against in high school, who made fried pickles for him, who made him hot chocolate and laughed at his stupid quirks. Suguru, the person who had somehow made Kuroo fall in love with him…

Before Tetsurou knew it, he was riding in the elevator to their floor, lost in his thoughts; what was he supposed to say again? Akaashi gave him a line to break the ice, but he forgot already. Being in the same building as Suguru had that affect. He was nervous already, rubbing Shindo in hopes of finding strength in him, the elevator doors opening all too soon—Kuroo contemplated pushing the down arrow again, but Shindo wouldn’t allow it and forced him to step into the hallway. Immediately, the omega was overwhelmed by those harsh, terrible memories of him cowering against the wall to his left as he quickly strolled past the scene, eyes welling up with a few tears before he could stop them.

“Be cool, Kuroo,” The journalist reminded himself, swallowing down the remainder of his emotions. The daunting image of the apartment door assaulted his nerves, but he continued to press forward, though his hands were shaking by the time he made it over. Tetsurou wanted to run away, knowing Suguru would be the person answering when he knocked, but the worst part about the entire situation was that Kuroo _wanted_ to see him. He _wanted_ to see that little snake bastard, wanted to scent him and hug him like some love-struck idiot. Despite what Daishou did on that unspeakable night…Kuroo longed for his presence. Shindo must have, too, because it was the idea of their baby missing his father that finally pushed Tetsurou to reach out and knock with his trembling fist.

_Knock knock knock_

Any second now, Kuroo would hear loud footsteps, Suguru whipping the door open with an expression that would either trigger the omega’s annoyance for him, or his love for him. It was a 50/50 chance. But when a solid minute passed with no door being opened, or even a single noise on the other side of the wood, Tetsurou wondered if maybe Suguru wasn’t home after all. He could’ve been at work or at the college…but was Kuroo really that lucky?

Hesitantly, Kuroo reached into his coat pocket and took out his key, slowly opening the apartment door and peeking his head inside, as if someone were going to jump out at him.

“Suguru?” Tetsurou called softly, shutting the door behind him. “…It’s just me.”

Kuroo prepared himself to see Suguru sitting on the living room couch waiting for him, but received another surprise when no one was there. The living room was empty, TV turned off, every object in the exact same place as it had been on the day Kiyoko left. A warm, welcoming feeling drifted over Tetsurou’s fried nerves when he re-familiarized himself with the smell of their apartment—as much as he hated to admit it, this was home. He missed home. Strolling through the apartment wearily, taking deep breaths all the way, Kuroo looked around every corner for Suguru, finding no one.

“Umm…anybody home?”

Kuroo went into their shared bedroom, creeping the door open in case Daishou was sleeping or something, but again, there was nobody. The baby room was empty, too, but a wave of Suguru’s scent rushed against Tetsurou’s senses, sending a chill through his body—to his surprise, the memory of “that night” didn’t come back with the smell. That was a good sign that Kuroo wasn’t permanently scarred, right? Kuroo headed back to the kitchen in confusion, still rubbing at Shindo to calm himself down while Suguru’s scent danced around him, as if welcoming him back with open arms. It was then that he noticed a package of bento and a note sitting on the kitchen island, addressed to him in Suguru’s handwriting. Despite all the defense mechanisms Akaashi and Bokuto taught him, Kuroo ignored them in favor of having his heart flutter as he read the note.

_Kuroo—_

_If you’re reading this, I’m glad. Here’s some dinner for you. I’ll be out for a little bit, but let’s talk when I get home?_

_With love and regret,_

_Suguru Daishou_

_p.s. Hi Shindo!_

“Fucking noob,” Tetsurou chuckled, running a finger along the paper. “At least he left me food…”

Kuroo was relieved that he was the only person home, suddenly, plopping down the couch to calm his tummy while he thought the situation over; if Suguru wasn’t home, that gave him the advantage. Now he and Shindo could resettle their territory on the apartment, drench their scent over every piece of furniture they could find so Daishou would have no choice but to be overwhelmed by their power. The first manner of business was food, and after Kuroo had gobbled down every last noodle, he whipped his phone out and easily sent Suguru a simple, straight to the point text.

 **kawaii kuroo** : _be home soon?    (4:30 p.m.)_

As usual, a reply came almost immediately.

 **sugar daddy suguru** : _yea. R u home?    (4:31 p.m.)_

Home. As much as Tetsurou hated to admit it, wherever Suguru and Shindo were was home; the past few days had been trying, that particular home torn apart and separated by careless words and thoughtless deeds, but it was time to make amends.

 **kawaii kuroo** : _yeah_. _I’m here   (4:33 p.m.)_

 

And so, Kuroo waited for Suguru to get home.

 

He sat in the quiet of the apartment for quite some time until the door handle rattled, signaling that someone was about to enter; all that time and Tetsurou still didn’t feel prepared enough to face Suguru? Kuroo stood up in alarm (quicker than expected, what with the baby weighing his front side down), suddenly wondering if he should be hiding behind the couch or something, but it was too late—the door opened, and a rush of the “fancy rainforest” Kiyoko had spoken of brushed against Tetsurou’s senses. Thankfully, his instincts didn’t immediately flinch with fear; Kuroo felt relieved for only a moment before Suguru Daishou stepped inside the apartment and back into his life.

While Kuroo probably looked tired and puffy-eyed, Suguru looked positively awful: his eyelids were bright red, and red was not a good color on him, nor did the wrinkled coat and stretched out sweater compliment his figure. Daishou’s hair was a mess, obviously not styled once during the storm, his face was paler than ever, worry lines underneath his exhausted, blood-shot green eyes and a troubling change of angle in his cheekbones. How had he changed so much in just a few days? Kuroo was more shocked than anything, forgetting about what caused him to leave in the first place as the boys stood a good seven feet apart, Suguru not daring to get too close just yet. His hands were held tightly behind his back, and while he looked like he wanted to speak, refrained from doing so.

Kuroo wasn’t sure how long that first moment lasted, but when he finally came back to earth, he realized Daishou was staring at him just as much as he was. How did the alpha feel about their future? Obviously he regretted what he did, judging on his slumping posture and unhopeful expression…what had he thought about during their time apart?

“…Hey,” Tetsurou forced out quietly, shifting on his feet as they awkwardly stood in front of each other.

“Hi.”

Suguru knew he should have started apologizing first, but he couldn’t force any other words out as he stared at Kuroo, who looked lovelier than ever. The first moment between them hadn’t been _terrible_ , but there wasn’t really a good place to pick up after those lame greetings. Kuroo snatched his courage back first, remembering what he and Akaashi practiced before coming over.

“I’m sorry,” The omega confessed, peering up with those hazel eyes and inadvertently shocking Daishou. “For yelling and leaving you like that…”

“No, no…you were right to do that. I’m the one who should be apologizing,” Suguru shook his head. “I’m…I’m so sorry for… _that_. I was totally, one-hundred percent out of line, and I never should have lost my temper. My behavior was unacceptable.”

“I was being moody,” Kuroo argued back. This was not what Bokuto told him to do, but the omega felt bad about Daishou taking all the blame. Curse that damn chaebol and his stupid sad, mopey snake expression. “It’s my fault we fought, anyway; Kiyoko should have drank her milk when we babysat. And she should have went to bed on time.”

“It wasn’t your fault; I should have just stuck to my guns instead of putting the blame on you.”

“Maybe we should have prepared more emotionally wise,” Tetsurou chuckled. “Everything was ready except for our sorry asses.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Both boys looked down with silent shame, unsure how to continue. Suguru knew the situation couldn’t be fixed with only apologies and admittance, though it was a tiny start to fixing what they shattered beyond recognition; the wiggling in his hands reminded him of a better apology, though, and when Kuroo glanced back up (not to check the chaebol out or anything), he was surprised to see a small smile on Daishou’s lips.

“I got you something. Well, for both of us, actually…to practice our parenting skills before Shindo arrives,” The alpha explained briefly. “Want to see?”

“…Okay…”

Kuroo couldn’t stop his stare from locking onto whatever object was tucked inside Suguru’s hands as he brought it forward, revealing not a box of jewelry or an expensive watch, but a real life fluffy Siamese kitten with an orange and salmon colored collar on its neck and a little chip out of its left ear. It was probably the most adorable thing Kuroo had ever seen, tears springing up hardly a second after the animal came into sight. Daishou held the kitten in his hands lovingly while he explained.

“I adopted her today—I already got the litter box and toys and everything…you wanted a cat so you could name it Sagwa, right?”

The river of tears burst from the floodgates as Tetsurou ran forward, softly scooping the kitten out of Suguru’s grip, Daishou alarmed at the sudden show of emotion. Kuroo kept crying and crying as he stroked the adorable creature, kissing her head and hoping he didn’t get any tears on her.

“Kuroo?!” The chaebol said in alarm, unable to help putting a hand on the omega’s arm worriedly. “Are you okay?!”

Tetsurou threw his arms around Suguru, startling him terribly, as he had been trying not to get so close in case Kuroo was still anxious; the omega hugged and hugged the chaebol and their new addition, sobbing and babbling like a child.

“I’ve a-always wanted a c-cat,” Kuroo wept into his coat, Suguru awkwardly patting his back in comfort. “Thank you…s-so much…for Sagwa…”

The kitten looked confused as Tetsurou backed away, crying as he cuddled it tightly to his chest, prompting Suguru to sigh deeply. He couldn’t help but pull Kuroo back into his arms and hold him close, Sagwa squished between their figures while Daishou rubbed the omega’s back gently.

“You’re welcome,” He said in response to Kuroo’s appreciation. “And…I really am sorry about what I did to you. I feel, just… _horrible, horrible_ about it. If…If you want me to move out, or if you want to move back in with Bokuto, I understand—”

“No!” Tetsurou wailed, peering up with desperate, teary hazel eyes. “You can’t leave again! I’ll kill you, remember?!”

While Suguru was shocked at the reply, he managed a stalled nod, both boys returning their attention to the little kitten held in Kuroo’s arms; no one said anything for a few minutes, content to pet the purring, perfect creature who would be standing in as their first child so they could practice before Shindo arrived. Tetsurou giggled when Sagwa began crawling up his arm, using her little claws to try and get away from all the smothering, even though she enjoyed it greatly.

“I wish I could remember the theme song for Sagwa,” Kuroo thought out-loud.

“Oh god…”

“How did it go again, Suguru?”

“How would I know? I never watched it.”

And their bickering had returned for a moment, Tetsurou giving the alpha a shocked look.

“You friggin weeb! You never watched _Sagwa_? Until you do, I’m taking away your right to pet _our_ Sagwa.”

“You can’t do that, _I’m_ the one who bought her!” Daishou claimed, running after them when Kuroo ran off with the kitten.

“Can, _will_.”

“Sagwa, come to daddy! Come here!”

“Sagwa, no! No daddy!”

Daishou let out a laugh despite everything, prompting Kuroo to giggle between his tears as they took turns petting Sagwa. The apartment was quiet again, but not with a dooming atmosphere like before; things wouldn’t be the same, but at least they were all together again. Tetsurou didn’t want to admit how much more relaxed he and Shindo felt being home with those familiar scents. Suguru, too, felt more at peace and optimistic than before. But there was one detail he wanted to make clear, no matter how much it hurt the two of them.

“I was thinking, during the storm, you know, and I came to a conclusion,” Daishou began slowly, looking at Sagwa in hopes of the words coming better that way. Kuroo was too distracting. “…I think it’s best that we put off any sort of romantic relationship between us until after Shindo’s born. Right now, we need to focus on him and not ourselves. Agreed?”

Through it all, the omega had hoped and prayed this wasn’t what their relationship would come to, but he knew deep down, that Daishou was right for once. That didn’t mean the reveal still didn’t injure him, though. Tetsurou hid his hurt expression by keeping his gaze on Sagwa, much like Suguru himself was doing to prevent himself from tearing up like some love struck idiot. But wasn’t that what he was?

“Yeah,” Kuroo choked out. “Agreed. For Shindo’s sake…”

“Yeah.”

Another awkward silence fell upon them, broken by Kuroo’s stomach (aka Shindo) giving a big growl.

“Didn’t you eat the food I left you?” Suguru tried not to snicker.

“Duh, but Shindo’s still hungry! Come on, Sagwa—let’s make some hot chocolate and cuddle on the couch. Maybe if we’re lucky daddy will join us.”

“Don’t count on it.”

 

Daishou knew the kitten wouldn’t magically fix everything; he knew that, but at the very least, he was glad Kuroo was as much of a sucker for him and he was for the omega.

 

_March 5 th_

On the surface, Kuroo Tetsurou and Suguru Daishou were a typical young couple sitting on uncomfortable plastic chairs waiting for their baby shower to start; underneath the surface, for those who knew them well, they were not a comfortable couple at all. Things had been painful and awkward since the winter storm incident, Suguru still sleeping on the couch as Kuroo wished for his presence in the bedroom, though he knew this was the method of punishment the alpha chose for himself, along with doing all the housework, laundry and party planning without complaining once. The distant guests didn’t notice anything off about Suguru or Kuroo. Bokuto and Akaashi did. Mori did and chose not to bring it up on such a happy occasion. Sora and Daisuke sensed something off about Tetsurou, even through his understandingly exhausted state of pregnancy, but also chose not to bring the subject up, both out of fear of triggering their son’s temper and out of respect for the occasion. The presents were being organized by Akaashi and Kiyoko as Bokuto laid out the snacks (most of which he ate the first batch of), giving Suguru the job of speaking to all the guests who arrived, since he now noticed Kuroo’s telltale signs of utter fatigue. He had been keeping a sharp, attentive eye to every mood change and scent alteration since their terrible fight in February—Tetsurou found it annoyingly sensitive, but didn’t comment, because he hadn’t been commenting on anything lately.

In fact, despite making up over their new kitten Sagwa, Daishou and Kuroo hadn’t spoken much.

Other than necessary conversations during doctor appointments, dinnertime and nights spent with Bokuto’s family, words exchanged between the two boys were forced, tense for reasons unknown. Kuroo knew it was because something had been destroyed during their lover’s spat that terrible weekend, but he couldn’t figure out why the after-effects were so severe; was it because of Suguru’s little domination act, or was it just because their first fight as a couple had been so…hostile? Either way, during their baby shower their attitudes were painfully forced and uncomfortable, but they did their best to make it seem like everything was okay.

“Here’s the first present, Kuroo-san,” Akaashi said, handing an exhausted looking Tetsurou a wrapped box.

“Alright,” Kuroo sighed tiredly, using all his strength to sit up. He really did look awful, even though Suguru thought he looked cute in his neutral colored outfit and bunny slippers; the omega got away with a lot of stuff now that Daishou was too afraid to call him out in fear of starting another argument. “From Yaku and Lev—let’s hope it’s not some Russian doll or anything…”

“Hey, Russian dolls are cool!” Lev piped-up.

“They’re creepy, Lev.”

“No, Yaku-san, they’re cool!”

Instead of a creepy doll that would kill Kuroo in his sleep, they gave him a set of baby toys and another babyish decoration; they started the pile of gifts and opened the rest (well, Suguru did, as Tetsurou was getting increasingly irritated by the amount of tape on most of the boxes) of the gifts, thanking everyone and hoping they enjoyed the food Bokuto made. Everyone seemed to be having a good time except the young parents themselves, who said little to each other and sat nearly a foot apart on the couch; Kiyoko and Sagwa provided everyone with entertainment, the growing kitten chasing after one of its toys as the adults awed. Akaashi and Bokuto were off snuggling in a corner somewhere, which left Kuroo with no one to talk to (not that he wanted to talk anyway; he was so tired) and Suguru left staring off into space until Mori came to sit on his other side.

“Daishou-chan, are those your parents over there?” Mori whispered to Suguru, nodding at the businessman and his wife who sat on uncomfortable chairs on the other side of the table. Even Daisuke bothered to show up. What could make the day any more irritable?

“Oh. Yeah, it is.”

“I talked to Daisuke-san over the phone, but I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting them in person. You mind if I scoot over there and suck up to them?”

“Go right ahead, Mori-san.”

Suguru sighed and watched Mori work his magic, seeming to get along with Sora and Daisuke right off the bat, laughing one minute and quietly talking the next; how can he be so good with people? Daishou wondered grumpily, flicking a bow stuck to his pants off. _Kuroo and I can barely speak to each other anymore, much less, other people. Why can’t we both be like him?_

“So, Kuroo-kun,” Mika (yes, THE Mika was invited to their baby shower) asked the other omega, scooting to sit in the chair beside the couch. “How’s your pregnancy going?”

“Well, Mika-chan, my feet are so fat they’ve gone numb and I can’t get a wink of sleep because Shindo keeps kicking my bladder every five minutes,” Tetsurou sighed, rubbing his eyelids tiredly. “Does that answer your question?”

“Totally!”

“Thanks for the gift, Mika-chan,” Suguru said coolly, not paying his ex too much attention. The absolute last thing he needed was for Kuroo to think he was hitting on her. “You really didn’t have to buy us anything, though.”

“It’s not a problem—I thought the cat shirt would suit your son very well,” Mika smiled cheekily. Even Kuroo, who hadn’t felt aroused in what felt like forever got a little turned on by that grin. “I do have to get going, though; lots of homework to catch up on. I hope you two have a great day, and good luck in labor, Kuroo-kun!”

“Thanks, I guess.”

“I’ll show you out,” Daishou said, taking the opportunity to snatch a glass of champagne when he stood up. God, he missed cuddling with Kuroo so badly it was making his head ache. How did they fall from enemies to lovers to enemies again?

While Suguru showed Mika to the door, Kiyoko set Sagwa on Kuroo’s lap, hoping the kitten would lift his spirits. The cat immediately purred and settled into her owner’s lap, but honestly, all Tetsurou wanted to do was fall into bed and try and get some sleep. He was irritated that they would have to clean up once everyone was gone, irritated about the amount of chairs in their living room, and irritated at anything that moved or made noise, aka Lev. But the baby shower was almost done with. Just a bit longer and then he could crash on the couch, if Shindo allowed it, that is…

“Time for the last present, Tetsu!” Mori announced, regathering everyone’s attention. “Let’s head downstairs to see what it is.”

“Downstairs?” Kuroo repeated in agony, letting his head fall back onto the couch. “We have to go all the way down there to get my present?”

“Yup! Come on, I’ll help you—everyone can come and see.”

“You’re going to love this present, Tetsurou-chan,” Sora promised as Mori helped his son stand and head towards the door, the company following after curiously. “Daisuke’s been excited about it for _weeks_.”

“Unless it’s a new mattress, I want no part of this.”

Mori smacked his son lightly on the back of his head, dragging the tired pregnant omega into the elevator; Suguru spared himself another awkward elevator ride and caught the next one with Lev and Yaku and all the other guests that were still around. Both boys were confused when Mori led them to the parking garage on the opposite side of the building. When Daisuke put his hands over Daishou’s eyes to cover them, the alpha almost kicked him in surprise.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Yeah, why’d you blind a pregnant omega, Dad?” Tetsurou said from somewhere to Suguru’s left.

“Trust us! You’re going to _love_ it. Keep walking forward.”

“If it’s not a new mattress, I swear…”

The boys were led to an undisclosed part of the parking garage, suddenly hearing gasps and a surprised shout from Bokuto. Kuroo squirmed out of his father’s grip, as did Suguru, just in time to spot a grey minivan with a large red bow on the top. They blinked several times as everyone else cheered loudly, Bokuto thinking this was the greatest thing he had ever seen—Suguru wasn’t sure if he was disgusted or happy to officially be a minivan dad.

“What…is this? Dad?” Kuroo squeaked, staring wide-eyed at the vehicle.

“It’s a family car! I got Daisuke’s number and we worked it all out over the phone. Picked out by yours truly, paid for by Suguru Accounting Co.”

“Guilty,” Daisuke grinned.

“You…You guys bought us this?” Daishou clarified, shocked that his dad would spend money on him when obviously his son was a spoiled brat. “For real?”

“Well, as cool as it would be to drive your baby around in an Acura NSX, Daishou, we thought ahead and figured if your little man would be into volleyball as much as you two are, you’re gunna need some room for equipment,” Mori explained proudly, unable to push a smile off his face.

“THIS IS SO COOL!!!” Bokuto shouted excitedly, pushing past Suguru to go investigate the minivan. “Akaashi, we gotta get one of these bad boys!”

“No.”

“What do you mean, ‘no’?!!!”

“So, Kuroo,” Daisuke smiled over at the omega, who was still in shock. “Is this better than a mattress?”

“No, but it is pretty awesome,” Tetsurou chuckled. He was really looking forward to having a new mattress, even though he knew the one they had was fine; Shindo kicking his bladder 24/7 was the issue, here. “I’m officially a dorky parent, huh?”

“Sure are! Like father, like son, as I always say.”

“Dad…”

“You don’t look as thrilled, Daishou,” The CEO commented. Everyone glanced his way, trying to read behind those green eyes. “I thought Mori picked a pretty snazzy choice, for a minivan.”

“No, it’s great—I like it.”

“Daishou’s just mad he can’t be the cool dad with an Acura anymore,” Kuroo teased lightly, though he was terrified he might trigger anger from the alpha. It was so hard to tell these days if the other was joking or secretly telling the truth in retaliation for what happened in February.

“I’ll still be the cool Acura dad,” The chaebol answered without looking at the others. “Just not as often.”

Sora was getting very concerned about the atmosphere between her son and Kuroo. With two months to go until the baby was born, they needed to be a team, tightly packed together in case something went wrong—right now, and since the winter storm weeks ago, she noticed they were not as compatible as they once were. It troubled her greatly, but nothing could be done about it at the baby shower; they did seemed a bit more cheerful than they had when everyone arrived for the party.

“Thanks, you guys—you really didn’t have to buy us a friggin car…that’s a little over the top.”

“Kids are for spoiling, Tetsu,” Mori told him, throwing an arm around his shoulder as they made their way back to the elevator. “You can only guess how much our grandchild will be spoiled once he arrives!”

“I can imagine.”

“Don’t worry, Tetsurou,” Daisuke assured him. “We’ll make sure to pick him out a much cooler car.”

“I’ll be paying for the next one, Suke.”

“Nonsense! We’ll just sell Daishou’s and use that money!”

Suguru was beginning to wonder if introducing the grandparents to each other was such a good idea after all, but Kuroo seemed happy that his father was happy, and so let the issue slide. He had pretty much been letting the omega get his way on anything since the fight, but honestly, Tetsurou hadn’t been asking for much. Suguru would be content to be alone with his thoughts while sorting the presents out as Kuroo tried taking a nap after the guests left—lately, being alone was the only peace he could find, if only because he couldn’t stand the awkward silences between he and the omega he knocked-up.

After the excitement of the minivan died down, most of the guests left the green themed baby shower, leaving Mori, Daisuke and Sora to help clean up the mess of their apartment; the presents would be sorted and put away later, but for now, Kuroo was admiring the mounds upon mounds of cute ass baby clothing they received on the couch with Sagwa. He even made the poor cat try on a onsie meant for Shindo. It did look cute on her, though, Suguru admitted to himself while sneaking glances every now and then.

“Alright, then…I suppose we’ll be off,” Sora exhaled as Daisuke slid her coat around her shoulders. “Will you boys be okay?”

“Um…yeah?” Daishou raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t noticed everyone’s concern.

“Give me a hug before I go. You too, Tetsurou!”

Kuroo included Sagwa in their group hug, the closest he had been to Suguru in what felt like forever; Daisuke gave the omega a hug, ruffling his son’s hair up before Mori hugged the boys and left with the Suguru’s, talking all the while. Kuroo would have been surprised by the new friendship, but his dad had a way of making everybody his friend. If only he could say the same for himself. If they didn’t have Sagwa to co-parent, the boys probably wouldn’t have spoken to each other at all.

Was it bad that Tetsurou still felt how he did before towards Suguru?

When the door finally shut, the end of the long day full of baby toys and clothes, Kuroo collapsed onto the couch and groaned loudly into the pillow; Suguru agreed with his antics and sighed, sitting down beside him and throwing his head back in fatigue.

“Socializing exhausts me,” Tetsurou grumbled, mushing his head into the pillow further as Sagwa jumped off his lap. “I’m so tired I could die.”

“But we got a car out of it, so I guess it was an okay day.”

“I guess…”

Sagwa filled the silence by playing with some wrapping paper, though neither boy found the sight as amusing as usual; Kuroo absolutely hated these moments. He wouldn’t mind if they went back to enemies right now, honestly, bickering and teasing each other relentlessly…anything seemed better than walking on eggshells like they were. It was embarrassing, being in front of that many people and not being able to speak to each other when the two were supposed to be expecting a child together. Kuroo felt like a real loser, and felt terrible for Shindo, who probably thought he wasn’t loved because of their attitudes. He didn’t want his first child to feel that way, even if their creation had been an accident—of course, Tetsurou was thinking negatively, as he had been since the fight…they got a brand new car for their baby shower. Shouldn’t they both be happy?

_Things have to change. But…what if they don’t?_

“Daishou-chan.”

It had felt like an eternity since Suguru had been called that. He slowly turned to face Kuroo, catching his weary, timid expression.

“Do you…Do you think we’ll be okay?” The omega asked worriedly. “I mean, it’s been weeks since our fight and…we still…aren’t really getting back into the swing of things, you know? I’m really concerned that this will become our new life, tip-toing around each other, trying to talk to each other like strangers…do you really think we’ll be okay, someday?”

“Of course,” Daishou nodded honestly, not hesitating. If anything, the last few weeks had solidified his feelings for the stupid dorky journalist omega. “Shindo will bring us together no matter what. I’m sure of it.”

Kuroo’s hazel eyes stared into the snake’s green ones for a long moment, one they both secretly cherished. A mumble escaped his lips when they looked away.

“Then I hope he comes soon…”

Daishou wasn’t sure how to reply to that, so he allowed Kuroo to try and take a much needed nap on the couch, going so far as to elevate the omega’s legs onto his lap. Just when he thought Tetsurou would fall asleep, Shindo would move or kick him and wake Kuroo up again—after fifteen minutes of this, the journalist was frustrated all over again, just like last night and the night before, and the night before that, and the night before that. He felt like lighting all the presents on fire for retaliation against his unborn son who just wouldn’t let him get the rest he needed.

“Are you okay?” Suguru dared to ask as Kuroo sat back up, angrily burying his face in his hands.

“I’m so miserable and _tired_ ,” Tetsurou whimpered. He wanted to cry so badly, but his pride wall had returned over the past few weeks, and he refused to let Daishou see him cry again. “I just want spring to come already so I can pop Shindo out…my bladder can’t take much more of this shit!”

“Come on,” The chaebol said suddenly, standing up and offering his hand to Kuroo, who peeked out from his hands. “Let’s go for a ride.”

“Huh? Where are we going?”

“Just trust me.”

The weight of Suguru’s words hit Kuroo hard. Trust Daishou, after he betrayed him and forced him into submission? Daishou, whom Kuroo was still in love with?

“Alright.”

_Damnit. I should’ve played hard to get._

Suguru seemed pleased at his answer, and forgoing scarves and mittens, Kuroo had to wonder where exactly the chaebol was planning on taking him. While it was warmer than February, March still felt like winter most of the time, so maybe they were going somewhere where they would be inside? Instead of taking their new van, they drove in the Acura for a solid hour, Kuroo desperately trying not to recall what activities they performed in the backseat. Apparently Suguru remembered, too, because he kept coughing and refusing to look in his rearview mirror. Maybe their official make-up would happen in the backseat later…wishful thinking.

“So—you wanna bang in the backseat, or?”

Suguru had the audacity to laugh at Kuroo’s attempt at humor, shaking his head in a polite refusal. Tetsurou was just glad he could hear that dorky laugh again.

“We’ve barely touched each other since our little lover’s spat, so I’m gunna give you a no on that one. Sorry.”

“Probably a good choice. We’re out of Tokyo, now,” Tetsurou commented, watching as most of the tall city buildings disappeared.

“Mhm. Notice anything different?”

“There’s not so much snow out here…”

“Right,” Suguru clarified. “Wait till you see where we’re going to end up.”

Kuroo was further confused when Daishou parked a few blocks away from a public park, but followed him out anyway, accepting his hand to help him out of the Acura even though he promised himself to keep his pride up and ready. Suguru released his hand, but walked a bit closer than normal as they approached the beautiful park. Kuroo couldn’t believe how little snow piles there were, green grass spurting out from the soft ground, but what was even more amazing was how colorful and ready the trees were—they almost looked like they could bloom right now. He saw what Suguru was trying to do, now. Kuroo said he wanted spring to come, and so, Daishou took him to a place where it was already spring.

“It’s like an entirely different world out here,” Daishou admired, stopping them in the middle of the park, surrounded by tall, colorful trees and bushes. “The blossoms are just starting to pop out…the sun is out, the grass is greener than ever…this park didn’t get hit with the snow storm like Tokyo did.”

The warm sun broke through the dark clouds above, heating the area as a rush of fresh air tickled Kuroo’s face, making his cheeks warm for the first time in a long time. The branches already seemed so close to blooming, flowers preparing themselves to erupt into colors and different shaped petals, ready to fall down and brush against unsuspecting individuals. There were birds chirping everywhere, hopping around and looking for worms in the soft earth below their feet, ignoring the newcomers like they were part of the landscape. Being here with Suguru out in the country, Kuroo really did feel like just another stone on a mountain.

“It almost feels like spring,” Suguru said softly.

A hard body flung against him suddenly, making the chaebol stumble as Kuroo wrapped his arms around him tightly, bursting into the tears he had been holding in all day. To hell with his pride—he already begged for Suguru’s dick on plenty of occasions. What else did he have to lose? Yes, Suguru made a mistake and hurt Kuroo, but hadn’t he done the same to the alpha? Damnit, the journalist was sick of sleeping alone on that damn mattress; he missed waking the bastard up every time he had to piss, and he longed to hear those sleepy whines when Kuroo stole all the covers or pushed the curtains open on a Saturday morning. He wasn’t afraid of Suguru making the same mistake twice. He didn’t feel agitated or scared to be with him.

Tetsurou was afraid of Suguru _not_ being there.

“Kuroo—?”

“I’m so sorry for being a moody bitch all the time, Dai-chan!” Kuroo cried, squeezing the life out of Suguru. “I can’t help it if I’m tired, but I’m sorry we can’t be the same as we were before! I’ll try not to be so mean and needy all the time…I’m really sorry…thank you for bringing me here, Suguru…”

The little bastard snake laughed again, chuckling into the messy black hair of his omega as he eagerly accepted the hug, warm wind blowing around their figures and morphing them together as one. Shindo finally went still for the first time in a long time, snuggled between his parents in another world where eternal spring was the only season.

“This is just like Goblin, huh?” Daishou commented stupidly, though it made the omega’s heart soar.

Kuroo smiled through his tears, nodding as Suguru held him away so he could stare lovingly at the journalist. Those green eyes lacked any darkness, no hint of annoyance—just admiration. Instead of directing it at the obviously way prettier sight of spring around them, he chose to look at Tetsurou, heavily pregnant, dark eye bags under his eyelids and a dorky sweater on under his coat. He didn’t want to look at anything else. Maybe if he thought of this during their fight, things wouldn’t have gotten so bad between them, but the past was the past; Shindo was the future that would hold them together, wherever life took them. Kuroo locked onto this memory when Daishou went to speak again, words quiet and honest, drifting into the warm wind that brushed against their faces.

 

“I love you,” Suguru said with a sad smile. “And I’ll still love you, even when we’re not ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was so bad and so rushed and if i hadn't split it up it would have been motherfucking FIFTY SEVEN PAGES. spare me the agony of myself! And btw, 42 people subscribed! So cool!!! That’s almost as much as Evolve had, so thanks!
> 
> Have a good day, and i hope you enjoyed!  
> Love,  
> Bodhi


	8. "until i can meet you"

 

_Snowflakes are falling_

_Getting farther away_

_I miss you (I miss you)_

_I miss you (I miss you)_

_How much more do I have to wait?_

_How many more nights do I have to stay up?_

_Until I can see you? (until I can see you?)_

_Until I can meet you? (until I can meet you?)_

 

_April 5 th_

One more month. Kuroo had one more month of pregnancy to go. One more month until he would experience the agonizing pain of childbirth and the blissful serenity of holding his first child. Shindo would basically be here within the blink of an eye, and the more Tetsurou thought about it, the slower he wanted time to pass by. Sure, his first pregnancy had been unplanned with his greatest enemy, but a lot of great things had come of that chance—while love was painful, especially involving Suguru Daishou, Kuroo was happy to have went through the ups and downs that made them stronger individuals, and as a result, a stronger co-parenting couple. There still remained moments when incidents between the pair were awkward after their big fight, but March improved once they decided to start over in terms of their romantic relationship. It was strange to think how quickly Kuroo and Suguru imbedded themselves into the other’s heart; nine months of pregnancy went by quickly, but when the omega looked back, every moment with Daishou seemed to move very slowly.

Today, Kuroo was having lunch with Sora and Daisuke at their Nohebi home. Although school had ended a few weeks before, Suguru still had a few classes to attend in preparation for his senior year; the little bastard had made the highest honor roll and thus, accepted some fancy responsibilities involving graduation for this year’s senior class. As bitter as it made Kuroo, who barely made the honor roll, he was proud that one of them was having some success career wise. Shindo already cost a lot of money, so they needed all the extra morale boost they could get. Daisuke picked Tetsurou up in his expensive, but much less flashy sports car, and weirdly enough the ride wasn’t as awkward as the omega expected.

“Hey, Tetsurou.”

“Hey. How’s it going?” Kuroo asked, sighing when he found relief in the comfy-ass leather passenger seat. God, his stomach was so huge he looked like a fucking alien.

“Well, the temperature finally hit fifty—I think it’ll be a warm spring for you and the baby.”

“Thank God. I’m so sick of winter and drinking my weight in hot chocolate.”

Daisuke chuckled and pulled out of the parking lot, driving into Tokyo traffic as the radio provided a not _terribly_ uncomfortable presence. Kuroo didn’t know why Suguru had such a problem with his father; he was pretty chill. Not as chill as Mori, but still pretty chill. Plus, his suits matched him much nicer than Daishou’s did. They were quiet for a while, content to think about how awkward sitting in a car with your almost father-in-law and almost son-in-law was. Most of Tokyo’s snow had melted away, leaving the streets and sidewalks clean and pretty as spring flowers prepared themselves for sunshine and clean air.

“How’s your eighth month of pregnancy feeling? Pretty rough?”

“Ugh…Shindo’s stopped kicking the crap out of me every night, but now I just feel heavy and bulky,” Tetsurou sighed dramatically. “All I want to do is lay on the couch and eat.”

“Haha! You sound just like my wife,” Daisuke laughed, turning into Nohebi. That had been a fast half-hour; Kuroo was kind of glad. “We thought Daishou was going to be a twelve-pound baby with how low her stomach dropped the last two months.”

“Pft—I think his ego accounted for ten of those twelve pounds.”

“You’re not wrong, there; but I think when the time comes, Suguru will rise to the occasion. I know he can be difficult and snotty and proud, but he’s not always like that.”

“I know,” The omega sighed, trying not to let his smile slip. Just because they agreed to put their romantic relationship on hold didn’t mean Kuroo stopped having feelings for the snake bastard. “…I think we’ll both be okay once the baby gets here. I mean, we’re okay now, anyway, but…I think he’ll bring us together even more.”

Why was Daisuke easier to talk to than his son? Kuroo felt like they were having a heart to heart. And in a car? Suguru was terrible at car rides! Except that one night after the volleyball game, of course…but that didn’t really count.

“It’ll all be okay,” The CEO nodded in agreement as they pulled up to the mansion. “Children have a way of bringing people together. You’ll be fine.”

 _I could’ve used that advice during our fight_ , Tetsurou thought, using all his strength to pull himself and Shindo out of the car. Moving around was getting harder and harder to do, which was bad for Kuroo only because he had to ask Suguru to pick Sagwa up for him whenever he felt the need to cuddle. Come to think of it, Suguru pretty much did everything for Tetsurou now days; getting pampered was nice once in a while, and Daishou didn’t even get mad when he found out the journalist snuck some of his Korean beauty products. _Maybe he still feels bad about our fight._

“Tetsurou-chan!” Sora cheered lightly when Kuroo and Daisuke entered the house. “So good to see you! You’re looking as glowing as ever.”

“You don’t have to lie, Sora-san.”

Suguru’s mother giggled and pulled him into a hug, having to reach a considerable amount as to avoid crushing the baby between them; Daisuke hung their coats up and followed the chatty omegas into the kitchen, where Sora already had their meal prepared. Even though Kuroo wasn’t hungry, he planned on eating a hell of a lot, because Suguru’s parenting books said he should be eating a fair amount during the last trimester of his pregnancy. That and he really was hungry despite what his mind told him. Sora made meat buns, rice and some kind of fish Kuroo gobbled down right away, washed down with chocolate milk (per the omega’s request); he was probably being impolite, but Suguru’s mom could really cook. It was hard focusing on parenting questions when plates of steaming food were fresh and ready in front of his nose.

“I’m so excited to be a grandma!” Sora said for the hundredth time that afternoon. “I can’t believe you only have a month to go, Tetsurou—I feel like it was just yesterday when Suguru came crying to me that autumn afternoon…”

“He cried?” Kuroo huffed over his bite. “What a noob.”

“Well, to be fair, he had just come from Dai’s office; we all know how _that_ turned out,” Sora sent a sharpened gaze towards her husband, who shrugged innocently. “But several months later, everything’s okay again. Do you two have the baby room ready?”

“Oh yeah, the room’s been done for a while. I, um…actually made a list of things we have to get done…”

Kuroo sheepishly handed the crumpled list to Sora and Daisuke, who thought it was hilarious and sweet at the same time.

“You chose good baby food flavors,” Daisuke commented, nodding in approval at the agreeable flavors listed by number four on the list. “Poor Suguru had to eat peas and green beans when he was a baby.”

“That’s what my dad fed me until I threw the spoon across the room one time.”

“I _told_ Daishou he should’ve made a list.”

“I’ve got it covered, Sora-san; all he has to do is drive us around in our minivan and change diapers,” Kuroo smirked, leaning back in his seat so there wouldn’t be so much pressure on Shindo and his gut. “I’ll be doing the hard work of giving labor and breastfeeding.”

“Has he driven the van around, yet?”

“We went for a cruise once or twice. I think he’ll warm up to it once the baby’s born.”

On cue, someone entered through the front door, and in came a surprised Suguru when he saw Kuroo already seated at the family dinner table; his expression cracked the omega up, and he was glad they were back on teasing terms, because this scene was too good to resist.

“Speak of the devil,” Tetsurou commented, grinning at Suguru when he glared. “We were beginning to wonder when you’d show up.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Like an hour. Mia familia.”

“Whatever,” Daishou mumbled, hanging his coat up; it was his turn to surprise Kuroo by putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing lightly, an intimate greeting the omega wasn’t expecting. They still weren’t sleeping in the same bed, for goodness sake—sometimes Kuroo felt like they had started all over again as frenemies. “Did you eat?”

“More than I should have.”

“It’s fine. Have some more milk.”

“Look at this punk, always telling me what to do…”

Tetsurou drank the rest of his milk despite his comment, Suguru watching him with careful eyes because he hadn’t seen him in a few hours and he almost forgot how cute the little cat was. He hoped Shindo looked like him.

“How’s your kitten doing, Tetsurou?” Sora asked curiously. “I can’t wait until you take pictures of her and the baby together!”

“Oh, I knowwwwww! They’re going to be so cute together!” Kuroo cooed, whipping out his phone to show Sora hundreds of new pictures he had of Sagwa. “She already loves him to death. See how she’s curling up around my stomach?”

“That is to _die for_.”

“I know!”

“You’re just like Sagwa.”

Kuroo and Sora looked over at Suguru questionably; the chaebol hadn’t realized he said that out-loud and felt his cheeks heat up considerably as everyone stared at him for an explanation. At least Tetsurou didn’t look as disturbed as Daisuke did. Daishou didn’t even know what he meant by thinking that—did he mean the omega was cute? Did he mean he was furry and fat? At this point in their relationship Suguru wasn’t even sure which way was North.

“Thanks, I guess,” Kuroo chuckled. “Let’s hope the baby doesn’t get your weird conversation tendencies, huh?”

“Yeah.”

 _I thought he said we weren’t going to flirt with each other?_ Tetsurou wondered. _Quick, distract him before he goes down to one knee!_

“Dai-chan, look! I crossed five more things off my parenting check list; we only have the baby nail clipper and the naming ceremony to plan.”

“Cool,” Suguru nodded while taking the list. “Good job.”

“I know, right? I got everything done like a responsible parent would do.”

“I guess you’ll be the primary caretaker, then, since you’re already so good at it.”

“Duh! I’ll just bring you back around when I need a check or a credit card or two.”

“Comforting.”

As the boys went back and forth with compliments disguised as half-hearted insults, Sora and her husband were surprised at how nice their son was being, especially when he kept praising Kuroo at everything he had accomplished for the baby thus far. Did this omega have secret powers? When Suguru dated Mika in their high school days, Sora didn’t remember anything besides Daishou complimenting himself in hopes of impressing the young lady, and now, he was honestly flattering Tetsurou with no under the table deals? He didn’t seem to be blackmailing Kuroo…

Did that mean Suguru really did like him?

“Daishou dear, are you hungry? There’s still a lot of food leftover.”

“No, I’m good.”

“We’ll take some leftovers, though, if you don’t mind, Sora-san,” Kuroo quickly added. “I can’t pass up an opportunity to take home your incredible cooking.”

“Dude,” Suguru narrowed his eyes. “Quit flirting with my mom. You’re having my kid, you know?”

“I was complimenting her, Daishou—get your head out of your butt.”

“Just when I thought you two were starting to sound like real parents,” Daisuke chuckled beside them.

“I’m ready, but I’m not so sure about sweater boy over here.”

“You’re not the one pushing a living creature through your lower extremity, Suguru!” Kuroo wailed accusingly as Sora dished up leftovers for them. “You better not be weeping like an old lady while I’m in the delivery room—I’ll already be crying from pain, and we can’t have two crybabies at once.”

“I won’t cry,” The chaebol huffed, though he didn’t sound so sure himself.

“You will at least twice, dear,” His mother replied smoothly. “Once when your son is officially born, and once when you hold him in your arms for the first time.”

“Told you,” Kuroo sneered.

“…Shut up. Let’s go home; I need a nap.” Daishou exhaled deeply, helping the omega stand from his chair. “The school year is over yet I’m _still_ up to my neck in work.”

“Aww, my poor baby!” Sora cooed and pinched his cheek, much to Kuroo’s amusement. She placed the leftovers in her son’s awaiting arms and laid a kiss onto his nose. “Let Tetsurou have most of these, dear. He needs to keep his strength up for labor.”

“Hey, I’m going to need just as much strength—”

“To cry like a baby,” Kuroo snickered under his breath, avoiding a kick from Suguru. “Thanks for lunch, Sora-san; let’s do this again soon.”

“But with our grandson next time,” Daisuke winked. Why was the conversation flowing so nicely today? Was it because Suguru wasn’t as hostile? Kuroo didn’t have an explanation, but he couldn’t help but feel happy as he and Daishou exited the mansion and climbed into the Acura together, just like old times. Sora and Daisuke waved until they backed out of the driveway, a pile of leftovers comfortably laying in the backseat. The Tokyo streets had erased almost every patch of snow, now replaced by puddles and shimmering pavement; the sun was constantly creeping through the rainy clouds, giving everyone a little glimpse of what heaven was like after the storm. Kuroo remained quiet for a bit, but Suguru was suspicious of the smile on his lips and couldn’t help but point it out.

“What are you grinning at?” Daishou questioned, even though he admired the sight of Tetsurou looking so carefree and peaceful.

“Nothing,” Kuroo shrugged innocently, resting a hand on Shindo. “It’s…just really nice to have calm moments before the storm, you know? Everything’s kind of hitting me hard with the due date only a month away...it’s comforting to know that I have a group of people who will support me if anything goes wrong.”

“Nothing will go wrong, Tetsurou.”

“Just in case, though; labor is riskier for male omegas than it is for females.”

“Your last appointment went fine. You don’t have to worry about something going wrong.”

Tetsurou glanced over at Suguru, seeing that confident, certain expression on his scary face. Of course Kuroo wanted to believe him, but it was only instinctual that he worry about what could go wrong during labor. But, if Daishou seemed so sure of Kuroo’s ability to push a football out of his guts, he might as well believe in himself, too. The omega smiled again and daringly reached out, laying his hand over Suguru’s own resting on the gear shift. Daishou flinched a bit, sparing Kuroo a glance in confusion at the action as they came to a red light.

“Thanks, Dai-chan,” The journalist said sincerely. “You’re the best.”

Suguru swallowed nervously, wanting to pull his hand back so he wouldn’t give into his urges and pull Kuroo’s hand up to his mouth for a kiss like some love-struck loser. Wasn’t that what he was, though?

“We, um…you…you probably shouldn’t keep pulling me in like this,” Daishou coughed, avoiding eye contact. “We’ll end up right back where we were if we keep…being affectionate with each other.”

“Well, in case you’ve forgotten, Suguru, I’m knocked up with your chaebol heir; you have to at least hold my hand every once in a while. Scenting isn’t my only emotional need, you know!”

“…Right. Sorry.”

“You’re in a weird mood today,” Kuroo noted, releasing his hand as they pulled up to their apartment complex. “First you compare me to Sagwa, then you compliment me on my non-existent parenting skills…are you trying to get some?”

“N-No!” Daishou sputtered frantically, getting a grin out of the other boy. “I thought I told you we weren’t going to—”

“Flirt with each other? So? We could just—”

“Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is _no_.”

Kuroo mumbled to himself, allowing Suguru to help him out of the Acura and even hold onto his arm as they headed towards the stairs; they were becoming a little too much for he and Shindo, but Daishou remained patient and walked slowly beside him. Kuroo didn’t feel comfortable on the elevator anymore, so as much as he wanted to just stay cooped up in their apartment every day to limit movement, it was officially spring outside, and the omega couldn’t sit inside being a hermit when the sun was out. Maybe Shindo would be easier to carry in a baby seat thing instead of a uterus.

“We _made_ it,” Kuroo heaved as they stepped onto their floor. “God, I can’t feel my lungs…”

“Don’t say that; it makes me…”

Suguru trailed off when he caught sight of something—someone—already sitting by their front door down the hallway. They were slumped against the wall with their face hidden in their knees like a total weirdo, and since Kuroo and Suguru were both standing next to each other…

“Bokuto?” Tetsurou questioned.

They hurriedly walked over, peering down at the other alpha as he peered up, golden owl eyes alarmingly glossy with on-coming tears, yet his expression didn’t seem to be upset. His clothing was too casual for a good emergency, though, so Kuroo was just as confused as Daishou was.

“Um…is something wrong?” The chaebol asked fearfully. “Why are you sitting on the floor?”

Bokuto didn’t open his mouth, lips trembling and held tightly held together as he stared up for a long, painful moment—then, he slowly scooted his legs away, lifting his left hand up: it didn’t take Kuroo half a second to notice the glimmering piece of jewelry attached to his ring finger.

“Holy shit!!!” Tetsurou exclaimed, eyes widening. “You asked him already?! Akaashi said _yes_?!!!”

“No!” Bokuto wailed.

“No?” Suguru repeated in alarm as Koutarou pulled himself up. The alpha stared between the two with wide eyes, not sure how to explain the current situation.

“No…Akaashi didn’t say yes.”

Kuroo held his breath tightly, heart racing with panic and anticipation. Bokuto shakily exhaled.

 

“ _I_ said yes.”

 

Suguru and Tetsurou paused their breathing for a moment, glancing over at each other to see if the other had figured out what the hell was going on. They both had confused expressions splattered across their faces, neither comprehending what Bokuto was getting at.

“…I don’t understand,” Daishou murmured. Kuroo nodded in agreement.

“Akaashi asked _me_ to marry _him_ before _I_ could ask _him_!!!!!!!” Bokuto shouted in their faces.

“WHAT?!” Tetsurou screeched.

“ _I know!!!_ ”

“What did you say?!”

“He said _yes_ , obviously!” Suguru stressed, wanting to laugh at the irony. And here they thought Koutarou would lose the ring before he could ask Akaashi…

“Shit! You’re _engaged_?!” Kuroo clarified while grabbing onto Bokuto’s shoulders. “You’re really gunna marry Akaashi?! For real?!”

“ _Mhm!_ ”

Tetsurou let out a cheerful scream and threw his arms around his best friend, throwing him around pretty easily for a pregnant omega.

“This is so fucking awesome!” Kuroo laughed happily, unable to let his best friend go. “I’m so happy for you guys—you’re _perfect_ , you’ll be together _forever_ , you’ll have lots of beautiful children together!”

“I know, I know!” Bokuto laughed as Suguru smiled beside them. “But…I’m sorry we stole your thunder. In my defense, I had a plan to ask Akaashi _after_ my godson had his spotlight!”

“I expect a hand-written apology from both of you.”

Kuroo kicked at Suguru’s leg, though everyone laughed loudly as the best friends continued dancing around the hallway for a solid ten-minutes before Daishou broke the party up.

“We need to go celebrate properly,” The chaebol continued, unable to hide his own joy. He hadn’t seen Kuroo this happy since they taught Sagwa how to flush the toilet. “Where are Akaashi and Kiyoko, now?”

“At the restaurant waiting for me,” Bokuto sniffled. “Akaashi already had reservations, but I got so excited when we got there I jumped out the bathroom window and caught a bus here so I could tell you guys!”

“You jerk! You can’t just get engaged and leave your fiancé alone!” Kuroo scolded, smacking the alpha’s arm harshly. “What if someone hits on him? How are you going to win him back?!”

“Let’s not be dramatic; I’m sure they’re still there waiting for you to return,” Suguru sighed while taking his Acura keys out again. “I’ll drive us.”

Kuroo and Bokuto babbled and giggled the entire ride over to the restaurant, Daishou content to smile and listen to their excited ramblings. Bokuto and Akaashi were really engaged—they were going to get _married_ , and Bokuto would officially be Kiyoko’s father, Kuroo would be a bridesmaid and Daishou could carry flower boy Shindo down the aisle! The chaebol thought they were planning ahead a little too far, but didn’t disturb their cheerfulness until they arrived at the restaurant, where Akaashi and Kiyoko already had a table ready for their party; Kuroo waved wildly, pulling Bokuto and Suguru along with them as they hurriedly approached the pair.

“Told you he ran away,” Akaashi mumbled to his daughter, though there was a bright smile on his lips as Bokuto sprinted forward and embraced him tightly.

“KAASHI!!!! I missed you so much!” The alpha cooed, nuzzling his nose into Keiji’s neck.

“Then why did you climb out the window?”

“I got too excited, okay?!”

“Let me hug him, too!” Kuroo whined, pushing Bokuto out of the way so he could throw his arms around the other omega. “Congratulations, Kaashi-kun!!! I can’t believe you pulled a fast one on Bo!!! Do you know he’s had this ring ready since _before_ Christmas?”

Akaashi had a pink stain on his cheeks as Kuroo investigated the dazzling blue ring resting on his ring finger, but he looked happier than Suguru had ever seen before. Kiyoko was smiling happily in Bokuto’s arms, almost looking like she would cry from joy.

“Yes, he told me all about how he was going to propose after the baby was born.”

“I think they’re okay with us stealing their thunder, Akaashi!”

“Let’s sit down and talk about it—if Kuroo gets anymore excited he might have an accident,” Suguru commented, easily pulling laughs from everyone. They piled in at their table and eagerly began discussing how Akaashi ended up proposing instead of Bokuto proposing, eating food all the while.

“Okay, okay, here’s how everything started,” Bokuto began, pointing his chopsticks at Kiyoko as the others listened intently. “This morning I went to ask Kiyoko-chan if she would be okay with me marrying her mother, right? And as I ask her, I notice she has a confused look on her face when I mentioned the ring I already bought Akaashi, right? So I was a bit suspicious then, but I didn’t really think anything of it because Kiyoko said it was okay, you know? So the day went by normally, blah blah blah, and _then_ —”

“Mommy said we were going to a fancy place to eat,” Kiyoko added.

“Yeah! Akaashi told me we were going out to celebrate, and I was all confused because I didn’t know what the hell we were celebrating, you know?” Bokuto grinned stupidly, hands waving around as he explained. “And then—Kaashi, you tell the rest!”

“Very well,” The omega smiled, taking another drink of sake. “I let Bokuto-san in the dark for a few more hours until I knew his curiosity was getting the better of him; when he and Kiyoko were in the living room, I went in and paused the show they were watching.”

“We were watching _Avatar_ ,” Kiyoko whispered. “It was a good episode, too.”

“Yes, they were watching _Avatar_.”

“And _then_ ,” Bokuto started, picking the story up again. “Out of nowhere, Akaashi gets down on one knee, Kiyoko kneeling beside him, too, and whips out a ring!”

“Oh my god,” Kuroo laughed lightheartedly, almost squealing again. “That is so classic.”

“I was frozen for a solid five-seconds before I ran out of the room and came back with the ring _I_ picked out for _him_!”

“Talk about communication issues,” Suguru mumbled without malice behind his cup.

“And you both said yes, huh?”

“Naturally. Though I had a small panic attack when Bokuto-san fled from the room…” Akaashi remembered in horror.

“Kiyoko, what did you think was going on?” Tetsurou asked with wide eyes, everyone glancing over at the little girl.

“Well…I was confused when Bokuto asked if he could marry Mommy,” She answered slowly, thinking it over. “I thought maybe he knew Mommy was going to propose, but then he showed me the ring he got Mommy, so…then I was _really_ confused.”

“What do you think Akaashi would have said if Bokuto proposed first?” Daishou questioned curiously.

“No.”

Everyone burst into laughter as Koutarou wailed, joking about what would have happened if she told both boys about their plans to propose; even Suguru seemed to be having a good time, ordering them another bottle of sake as they ate their food and gushed over future wedding plans. Kuroo even called his father to tell him the good news, Mori elated and already asking what they wanted for an engagement present. Overall, it was a perfect ending to a perfect day; Tetsurou was plump with food and water, since he couldn’t drink, Suguru had managed to successfully get Bokuto pretty drunk, Kiyoko was falling asleep on her mother’s arm and Akaashi himself couldn’t wipe that happy little smile off his lips. Kuroo didn’t want the night to end, but his bed was calling, as was his full bladder.

“Man, I’m so happy for you guys,” The journalist said for the hundredth time, pulling the newly engaged couple into one final hug in the parking lot. “Congratulations. You two will be very happy together, even if you both set the weddings for different dates and end-up alone at each one.”

“Come off it,” Bokuto cackled, nudging Kuroo away. “We’ll totally be in synch now, right, Kaashi?”

“Most likely not.”

To everyone’s surprise, Suguru was the next one to hug Bokuto, and not even to pull him into a revenge headlock for an earlier incident.

“Congrats, Bokuto-kun.”

“Hey, thanks a bunch, Suguru! We’re good about the stealing thunder thing, right?”

“I suppose.”

Next, Suguru turned to Akaashi, hugging him as well and shocking Kuroo—was it really only eight months ago when Daishou had been their mortal enemy? How had he taken to being their friend so easily? Kuroo found their current stance amusing, as Bokuto had once sworn to join a witch coven and curse Suguru into the form of a snake for all eternity. Maybe he should remind the other alpha of that promise. Then again, it was probably a good thing they all had some character development.

“I would apologize, Akaashi, but since you entered this arrangement at your own free will, I guess I’ll just congratulate you instead.”

“Thank you, Suguru-san.”

“If you need anymore gift cards, let me know.”

Akaashi mumbled under his breath as Daishou released him, following up by holding an arm out towards Tetsurou, apparently waiting for him to duck under so they would be pressed together. Despite the weather being nice even late in the evening, Kuroo accepted the gesture, snuggling up to him as Bokuto took Akaashi’s hand, Kiyoko held against his other side. They already made a lovely trio, and Kuroo couldn’t help but grin when he imagined the same picture, only with Akaashi wearing a white gown, Kiyoko wearing a pretty little dress and Bokuto looking ever so handsome and professional in a black tux.

The day of that wedding would certainly be one of the happiest days of their life.

“Well, I guess we better let you guys get home,” Bokuto sighed, smile glued to his face for the rest of eternity. “Thanks for coming to celebrate with us; it means a lot.”

“Sure thing, Bo. And congratulations again; I’m never going to let you forget the time Akaashi proposed before you could.”

“Good to know,” The alpha smiled over at his fiancé. “See you guys later. Thanks for paying, Suguru!”

“Whatever.”

Bokuto waved as they crossed the parking lot, Kuroo unable to wipe a smile off his lips the entire drive home; Suguru seemed to be in a good mood, too, letting the omega use the shower first and offering one of his Korean lotions after the fact. They were both caught in their own thoughts, Suguru in a daze about engagements and future plans, Tetsurou giddy over the idea that he and his best friend were both growing up. Their babies could be best friends, play volleyball on the same team and get married one day so they could _really_ be family. That was the perfect scenario, of course, but Kuroo could dream. Suguru even popped into the picture once or twice, though, admittedly, the omega had accidentally pictured him looking more like a young version of Mori…did that mean he had a thing for his own dad, or did he just have weird daddy issues like Suguru himself? When Daishou exited the steamy bathroom, all dressed in silk pajamas and ready for bed, Tetsurou was standing in the hallway waiting for him.

“Come on,” Kuroo nudged him towards the bedroom. Secretly, after the euphoria of his best friend getting engagement wore off, he now felt bitter and resentful. Sex would have been a better way to blow off steam, but it wasn’t recommended in the final two months of pregnancy. “Come sleep with Shindo and I.”

“…Alright.”

Daishou allowed himself to be pulled into their room, Kuroo carefully sliding into his own spot as the alpha carefully laid beside him, a comfortable space between them until Tetsurou rolled onto his side. They didn’t speak for a long time, lamp light sending a warm glow throughout the bedroom; it would have been a perfect day if Shindo was here with them, cuddled between their loving figures as they thought about Bokuto and Akaashi…if only, Kuroo sighed deeply, lowering a hand to rub over the mound on his stomach. _I wish you were here with us, Shindo. We need your help. We’re trying to make a good life for you, but I’m afraid it won’t be enough. I’m afraid… **we** won’t be enough. Not compared to the life Kiyoko has with Bokuto and Akaashi…_

“Tetsurou.”

The journalist peeked upwards, startled to see Suguru smiling gently at him, looking ever so stupidly cute with his wet hair and red cheeks. Apparently, he was reading his mind.

“Soon,” Daishou nodded. He dared to reach under the blanket and lay his hand over Kuroo’s, right over Shindo’s squirming form.

Of course the chaebol of Tokyo was right. It wouldn’t be too long, now…how did he make Kuroo feel so at ease, enough to smile, even, with just one single word?

“Soon,” Kuroo agreed. “Goodnight, snake-chan. It’s good to have you back in my bed.”

“Don’t say it like that,” Suguru grumbled, turning to turn the lamp off. “Goodnight, Tetsurou. And goodnight, Shindo.”

 

_April 16 th, 2:48 p.m._

“I did it!!!”

Suguru glanced up from where he sat on the couch reading another parenting book, Kuroo wildly waving an envelope through the air with a proud, ecstatic expression on his handsome face.

“What did you do?”

“Beside getting knocked up, I also made the final honor roll this year!” The omega explained cheerfully as Daishou strolled over, watching as Tetsurou totally disregarded the chaebol’s own honor roll certificate hanging on the fridge, placing his over top of it with a magnet. He had felt ill all morning, so this was the perfect good news he needed to feel better. “Do you have any idea what this means?”

“You’re going to start acting like you know everything? Oh wait, you already do that.”

“It means we are officially seniors in college!” Kuroo exclaimed. “We should be proud of ourselves! I mean, you’re obviously way past that point, given your _package_ , but I think we deserve a reward for not folding under the pressures of unplanned parenthood.”

“Agreed,” Suguru nodded, sliding his certificate out from under Tetsurou’s after he turned away. “What should we do? We can’t exactly go out drinking or anything…and I think Bokuto and Akaashi are busy today…”

“We don’t need them to have a good time! We have each other! And Shindo!”

All the “we’s” getting thrown around gave Suguru a bit of a headache, but he welcomed the pain and watched as Kuroo threw on a light jacket over his pregnant form, ushering the alpha over so he could hold onto his arm while slipping his shoes on. Kuroo could barely bend over anymore, Shindo obstructing his vision so badly it took three tries to get his left sneaker onto his foot; Daishou ignored the butterflies flying around inside his own stomach and slid a green coat over his black turtleneck.

“Well—somehow we managed to get through another year, Daishou-chan.”

“Yeah…thanks to me helping you pull all nighters to finish your assignment.”

“Shut up, bitch, I worked hard this past semester!”

“I know, I know,” Suguru surrendered with a laugh, grabbing the Acura keys as Kuroo threw the door open, ready to take the world by storm. “Just think how hard our final year will be, what with Shindo running all over us every night and day…”

“Ugh…thanks for killing the mood, Shindo.”

“So where are we going? What’s our reward for not murdering each other?”

“Hmm…I think I need some fresh air. Do you mind if we go back to the park?” Kuroo asked hopefully, hazel eyes warmer than usual as he peered over at Suguru beside him.

“The one we went to during winter?”

“No—the one we took these pictures at,” The omega reminded him, almost smiling at the memory of wrestling with Daishou in a public park. “I want to see what it looks like during spring.”

“Okay.”

Kuroo blinked a few times, narrowing his eyes at Suguru suspiciously. He had been way too nice lately and it was starting to get on the journalist’s nerves. And Shindo’s.

“You’re not even going to be a brat about it? Not gunna throw a tantrum?”

“…Not _today_ ,” Daishou mumbled.

“I suppose you’ll save them for when Shindo’s also throwing a fit; that way you two can successfully drive me crazy and force me out of the apartment. I hope you bastards have a happy life together!”

“Don’t be childish. You know I could never raise Shindo on my own; I barely remember we have a cat sometimes,” Suguru chuckled, opening the lobby door and stepping aside so Kuroo could exit first. “It’s best that we co-parent like two adults rather than single parent as college students.”

Their conversation died the minute Tetsurou stepped outside—he swore he had went outside yesterday, but yesterday looked entirely different from right now. Suguru paused as well, marveling at the row of cherry blossom trees just starting to bloom on the opposite side of their street, rows of nicely trimmed bushes behind them and not a car to be seen. Kuroo wondered if they accidentally stepped into another dimension by accident, because he had never walked by a Tokyo street without seeing a single car before. The air was warm, gently brushing over the loose locks of Suguru’s hair and sending a bubbly sensation over Kuroo’s rosy cheeks; everything smelled and felt fresh, the start of a brand new day and era, world clean for Shindo’s taking. When Daishou finally broke out of the spell, he glanced over to find Kuroo holding his hand out in the alpha’s direction—

“Come on,” Tetsurou smiled, taking Suguru’s hand when he was unable to react. “Let’s go.”

And this was how the chaebol of Japan found himself walking hand in hand with the omega he knocked up all those months before, heading towards the famous park where they took their autumn pictures together. Kuroo couldn’t wait to see all the flowers and trees that had bloomed in their absence, couldn’t wait to waddle through the bright, thick green grass while pulling Suguru behind him…he hoped it would feel as magical as he imagined. The day was already feeling a little brighter on cause of their hand holding, which Tetsurou was honestly surprised at, thinking Daishou would be too proud for something so PDA. Then again, they did almost have full on intercourse in the backseat of Deok Hwa in a _public parking lot_ , so Kuroo knew the snotty boy wasn’t really as proud as he thought.

“It’s crazy how much has changed since the beginning of the year,” Suguru commented calmly, hand still grasping Kuroo’s snugly while they slowly made their way towards the Acura. “Time’s gone by so slowly, but it feels like August was years and years ago. You know what I mean?”

“Totally. My poor gut will need another year to recover after I give birth to this pot roast. Come to think of it, I might need another year to recover from all the hate sex we had this year.”

Daishou laughed good humoredly and opened the door for Kuroo, making sure he was buckled in before sitting in the driver’s side, retaking his claim on the omega’s hand as they backed out of the parking lot. They were separately lost in their thoughts as the drive continued, but something pulled them both back simultaneously: Tetsurou thought he was hearing things when his favorite song came on the radio, but when Suguru noticed as well and turned the volume nob up, they were both shocked to hear “ _Spring Day_ ” by BTS playing.

“Hey! This is my song!” Kuroo pointed excitedly. “This must be what destiny is like.”

“I think you mean fate.”

“Whatever—turn it up, please!”

Suguru obeyed, humming along with the soft tune as they watched the blooming trees fly by, verses echoing quietly as Shindo squirmed a bit, Kuroo putting a hand on his stomach to calm the baby.

_“You know it all, you’re my best friend; the sun will rise again, no darkness, no season can last forever. Seems like cherry blossoms are blooming, the winter is gone; I miss you (I miss you) I miss you (I miss you). If I wait a little longer, if I stay up all nights for a couple of more days, I’ll go to meet you (I’ll go there to meet you), I’ll come to get you (I’ll come to get you). Until this cold winter ends, and the spring comes again, and until the flowers bloom again, please stay there a little longer; please stay there.”_

The song ended right as they pulled up to the park, fading out into nothing right on cue, Suguru turning the car off and glancing over at Tetsurou to see if he noticed how well planned their trip was.

“That was kind of freaky,” Kuroo laughed, unbuckling he and Shindo from the Acura. “Fate is freaky.”

“It’s called romantic, actually.”

“Pft. Sure thing, Dai-chan.”

Man, Kuroo really wanted to hold Suguru’s hand again. Fate was on his side again, for the alpha gently slid his palm against the omega’s as they walked towards the empty park, silently asking for permission; Tetsurou tried not to smile as he granted it, swinging their arms back and forth while pulling Daishou into the beautiful scene ahead. It looked so different from when they took those pictures several months before…the trees were no longer naked and creepy, but full of thick branches and covered in pink cherry blossoms. The bushes, too, were colorful with emerald leaves, an even tan color for the branches, blending nicely with the long, flowing grass below. They were surrounded by a wave of pink, reminding Tetsurou of Shindo’s baby room. Everything was calm and hushed in the park, as if nothing else existed but the trees and the couple. Time moved slowly through their eyes, although the clock moved quickly, long minutes passing by as they admired the scene before them.

“Ahhh…this place is so pretty during springtime,” Kuroo sighed in approval at the pink blossoms. “I can’t wait to take some pictures with Shindo here! It’ll be our special place to take him, okay, Suguru?”

Daishou nodded absentmindedly. Honestly, he felt like bursting into tears already—their song had played on the radio on the way over, the park was fully in bloom and looking more perfect than ever, they were still holding hands despite everything they had gone through the past eight months…Shindo was due in only a month. One month from this moment, even less than that, if Suguru got technical…he would be a father. Kuroo would be a _mother_. They would be parents to Shindo together. Their lives were set to change again, for better and probably for worse at some points, but for this tiny, short moment where nothing else existed but the two of them, Daishou thought he would be content to remain stuck in this maze of cherry blossoms for the rest of his life.

“This is the best day of my life, Kuroo.”

The omega broke his stare on the wonderland around them to look over at a nostalgic Suguru, who had a soft, emotional smile on his lips as he spoke, tightening his hold on Tetsurou’s hand. On cue, Shindo moved around inside Kuroo’s stomach, like he was reacting to his father’s touch.

“I woke-up feeling refreshed and calm because I slept with you and Shindo again. I had really good eggs for breakfast, and we both got our honor roll certificates in the mail. The snow melted away, the Acura is clean, and I’m standing in the most beautiful place in the entire world with my high school enemy whom I’ve fallen stupidly in love with.” He exhaled sweetly, sucking in the warm air of nature. “I know it sounds like I took this from _Goblin_ , but…it really is the perfect spring day.”

Suguru glanced over at Kuroo with teary eyes, expecting the omega to have the same expression, but was shocked out of his dreamy state when he noticed how wide and terrified those hazel cat eyes were. He was standing funny and had released Daishou’s hand to lightly cup the bottom of his stomach, legs trembling and stance a little awkward.

“Kuroo? Are you o—”

“My water broke.”

Silence shattered the peaceful park atmosphere as Daishou stared blankly, peering down at Kuroo’s crotch then back up to his panicked eyes in confusion. Had he heard wrong? Whose water had spilled? Was that a new social media expression Daishou didn’t know about?

“Suguru, my—my water just broke!” The omega repeated, words frantic.

“But…it’s only April 16th,” Suguru said stupidly, eyes unblinking. “The baby’s not due until May.”

“Did you not hear me, Slytherin?!” Kuroo raised his voice with both panic and excitement, grabbing onto the chaebol’s turtleneck and shaking him violently. His pants were disgustingly wet, but that was the least of his problems. “My fucking water just broke! Fluids are _leaking out_! The baby is coming _now_!!!”

“W-What?!”

Pain overwhelmed Kuroo’s lower abdomen, sweat beginning to leak out and heart starting to race as if a flip had been switched. How had this happened so quickly? Tetsurou wasn’t falling into a panic quite yet, though he did wonder if he himself caused this by saying this park would be their special place to bring Shindo— _I didn’t mean right this minute!_ Tetsurou mentally yelled, panting and whimpering wildly as a terrible throbbing sensation erupted in his guts. _I will not be one of those freaks who gives birth in public! Stop this behavior right now, Shindo!_ His hold on Suguru’s turtleneck tightened further as he struggled holding himself on his legs, which were already becoming weaker by the minute. How would he get through childbirth if he was already tired?! When the omega began shaking and was in danger of falling to the grass, Suguru seemed to understand that he was completely serious. This was no cruel prank he and Bokuto had set up just to get back at him for the fight they had in winter.

The baby was coming _now_. Shindo, their son and first child was coming _right now_.

_Holy shit._

“C-Come on!” Daishou hurried, gently worming his arms around Kuroo’s torso and rushing him out of the park. “Let’s get to the car!”

“Shit…Shit, Suguru, it _hurts_!”

“Okay! Okay!”

 _This is not happening, this is not happening, I’m not prepared, I was promised another month and I want another month of preparation!_ Daishou worried, mind whirling as they finally made it to the Acura, Kuroo crawling into the backseat as another rush of fluids began leaking out; the alpha quickly threw a seatbelt over his legs and his upper torso, sprinting around the side of the car while knowing two lives depended on his speed. What the hell was Shindo up to down there? Was he sick and tired of being curled up in a ball surrounded in bodily water? Kuroo felt a rush of concern towards his son, laying one of his trembling hands over his protruding and trembling stomach, praying he could at least hold on until they made it to the hospital. Despite Suguru’s denial, he was in full parent mode by the time he slid into the driver’s seat, whipping his phone out and clicking the first number on his speed dial: he was thankful he acted as the overly concerned parent and had put the hospital’s number into his phone seven months earlier.

“Y-Yes, this is Suguru Daishou—my—um—my partner is going into early labor. We’re on our way right now. Yes—yes. Thank you!”

“Hurry…”

“We’re going right now, okay?! Are you okay?!”

“Just go, Suguru!”

Daishou slammed on the gas and peeled out of his parking space, tearing onto the freeway while gradually building speed right up to the speed limit. They were a solid twenty minutes away from the hospital, but by the looks of things, Kuroo’s labor was moving much quicker than the Acura.

“Ow… _why_ …why is he…early?” Tetsurou whimpered, clutching his stomach in the backseat.

“I-I don’t know,” Daishou answered honestly, swerving through traffic like he was in a Fast & Furious movie. “I’m going Tokyo Drift on this highway, so stay with me, okay? The hospital’s still a ways away, but I’ll text everyone and let them know what’s going on. Okay, Kuroo?”

“Okay,” The omega nodded weakly. “Okay…”

Five minutes had passed. It felt like half a second to Suguru, who hit a red light and hurriedly whipped his phone back out to send a mass text to Bokuto, Akaashi, Mori and Daisuke. Was he really sending this message? Was he really going to become a father within the hour? No way. This was not real. This had to be some kind of dream, right?

**_Suguru Daishou_ ** _: kuroos water broke, earrly labor, goinhg 2 St. Luke’s hospitsal NOW    (3:34 p.m.)_

Obviously Suguru didn’t wait for any responses, booking it into the tight Tokyo traffic until they finally found themselves at the front door of the hospital, where a team of nurses were already waiting for them outside.

“We’re here!” Daishou exhaled, heart pounding frantically as he slammed on the breaks and nearly fell out of the car. He scrambled back to the backseat, throwing the door open and carefully lifting Kuroo into his arms; the nurses rushed forward with a wheelchair, causing the omega to groan in mortification. God, his stomach was starting to hurt so fucking badly...if he focused enough Tetsurou could even feel his opening starting to widen in preparation for Shindo. _Maybe they should videotape me giving birth for one of those documentaries_ , he thought dryly.

“Sit down right here, Kuroo-san!” The nurse instructed, ushering the omega into the wheelchair safely. “We have a room all ready for you, and your doctor is already waiting.”

Suguru could only stand by and watch, already feeling helpless as he held Kuroo’s left hand as tightly as possible while another nurse quickly did an overview of Kuroo’s body, checking his pulse and the way he was already widening his leg apart, as if Shindo were already coming out. Daishou’s senses were wide open when he heard her speak into a walkie talkie, apparently to the waiting doctor.

“Male omega, early twenties, going into premature labor,” She reported, turning her attention to Suguru for a moment. “Is this the patient’s first child?”

“Y-Yes, this is his first pregnancy.”

“And the baby was due when?”

“May, next month.”

“Well, I guess he got a little too excited to meet his parents, then,” The nurse smiled brightly.

“Hard to imagine why,” Tetsurou mumbled, twitching through another course of pain.

“Let’s get going.”

Suguru sprinted alongside Kuroo as the nurses wheeled him inside, using the emergency elevator to get up to the maternity floor; they were set to be in room eleven right through the blue swinging doors, and as they ran past the waiting room, the alpha hardly even noticed his parents already seated in the corner, having been at Daisuke’s office when they got the text.

“Daishou!”

Suguru bolted around at the sound of his father’s voice, and he would have been shocked if he already hadn’t been stuck in a state of an emotion _way_ past shock; Daisuke and Sora hurried towards their son as the nurses went ahead and wheeled Kuroo through the halls and into his room. Daisuke reached him first, not getting a chance to ask more about the situation before his son started rambling.

“Dad,” The younger alpha huffed in a panic, eyes wider than ever, hands shaking out of his control. “Dad, he—Kuroo—his water broke w-when we were at the park, but he’s not supposed to…the baby’s not supposed to come until next month! T-They said he’s in premature labor and I don’t know what that means, I don’t know if Kuroo will be okay or if he’ll be able to deliver the baby an—”

“ _Daishou.”_

Two arms came out of nowhere and grasped Suguru by his shoulders tightly, forcing him to stop and peer into his father’s serious, calm eyes as Daisuke spoke clearly and deliberately. Suguru couldn’t help but hang onto his every word, the noisy hospital going silent around them, his loud heartbeat echoing in his eardrums.

“Calm down,” The elder Suguru ordered. “Everything will be fine. Kuroo is the one who needs you right now, so don’t worry about anything else but him, understand?”

Daishou’s breathing slowed a bit, head nodding hurriedly in response to that wisdom.

“You’ll do great—I’m positive.” Daisuke gave a quick smile, squeezing Suguru’s shoulders for affirmation. “You’re not some punk rich kid anymore; you’re a passionate, snarky, determined young man, and I have no doubts that you’ll be a great father to your son. So go in there and help Kuroo as much as you possibly can—alright?”

“Alright,” Suguru croaked, quickly throwing his arms around the businessman for a short hug. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Anything for you, Dai. Now get your ass in there.”

 

Suguru let out a choked laugh before turning away and running through the double doors.

 

When the father to be burst into room eleven, Kuroo was just getting out of his clothing and was sweating terribly, cheeks flushed and eyes hazy as the nurses readied his hospital gown. At one point Daishou knew what each medical instrument and object was for, but right now he couldn’t focus on anything but the idiot he was madly in love with, heart terribly concerned about his current state.

“What’s the situation?” Suguru forced out, swallowing down any remaining fear while shedding his trench coat and hurrying to Kuroo’s side. Two nurses slipped the gown over his upper body while their chosen doctor investigated the lower portion of Tetsurou’s quivering body.

“He’s already dilated at nine centimeters,” She said out-loud, hands holding Kuroo’s thighs still. “This baby’s going to be born soon—the third state of labor has already started. Are you feeling okay, Kuroo-san?”

Suguru eagerly looked down for Tetsurou’s reaction, relieved momentarily when he nodded frantically, though the pain deep inside him was starting to become agonizing. It was hard to describe what kind of pain it was, and although Tetsurou had never given birth before, he couldn’t help but feel like something else was hurting when it shouldn’t have been.

“How is he already in the third stage?” Daishou asked quickly, wanting to gather as much information as possible. “Wouldn’t we have noticed him going into labor before that point?”

“Some symptoms of premature labor include what we call invisible contractions that don’t cause the mother any pain, and therefore go unnoticed until the late stages,” Dr. Sakiyama explained just as quickly. “There’s a heavy amount of discharge already leaking out, and if I’m seeing correctly…”

“ _Ow_!” Kuroo yelped, violently clutching his left side. “ _O-w_ …”

“The baby’s head is just barely in sight. That rules out a breech birth, thank goodness—are you ready to start pushing, Kuroo-san?”

“No!” The omega shouted angrily.

“Kuroo, it’ll be okay!” Suguru interrupted, letting Tetsurou squeeze his left hand until it turned white from loss of blood flow. His other arm was wrapped around the omega’s shoulder, comforting him as the final contractions began pounding from every angle, pain surging throughout his entire body. “You want to meet baby Shindo, don’t you? You’re _literally_ almost done already, you just have to push a little!”

“The baby’s crowning,” The doctor announced excitedly. “Nurses stand by.”

“Shindo…” Kuroo whimpered desperately. “I wanna see…Shindo…”

“I wanna see him, too,” Suguru sniffled. Jeez, the tears were starting already… “So can you start pushing for him?”

The journalist nodded weakly. He tugged on Suguru’s hand, pulling himself into a better position.

“Alright…ready, Tetsurou-san?” Dr. Sakiyama confirmed. “And… _go_.”

 

While Kuroo was preparing to push his first born child out into the world, the families and friends had gathered in the waiting room down the hall. Daisuke and Sora were the first to arrive, startled when Kuroo’s crazy-haired, beefy best friend came sprinting into their previously silent area demanding the nearest nurse to tell him which room Kuroo was in; his appearance was followed by his level-headed omega and lovely daughter Kiyoko, whom Sora remembered meeting at the baby shower.

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi sighed, tugging the alpha away from the frightened nurses. “They’ll call us in when they’re ready. Sit down and wait for now, okay?”

“But Kuroo’s in premature labor, Kaashi, I can’t just sit here while he’s in pain!”

“Suguru-san is with him, remember? I’m sure they’re handling everything accordingly—now take a deep breath and come sit down.”

Daisuke and Sora shared a look with each other, both a bit amused after their initial shock wore off. Akaashi noticed them first, though he didn’t greet them right away and focused on keeping his boyfriend strapped down in his seat. Kiyoko felt both worried and excited by all the commotion, not understanding why Kuroo was having the baby now when he said they were having him next month; she didn’t ask questions, however, choosing to stay silent in her mother’s lap holding her American Girl doll. She thought Shindo would like to see someone his size when he was born, so she brought her along.

“I’m so freaking worried,” Bokuto rambled to himself, golden eyes wide with fear. “What if…What if Kuroo’s really hurt? What if he gives birth in fragile condition? Will he be okay?”

“It’s nice to see you guys again,” Daisuke interrupted, leaning forward in his chair to gather their attention. “I take it Daishou sent you a text as well?”

“Ah—yes,” Akaashi nodded politely, the conversation capturing his boyfriend’s attention. “Good to see you again. Right, Bokuto?”

“…”

“You’re still just as precious, Kiyoko-chan,” Sora said in awe, eyes glimmering down at Akaashi’s dark-haired child. “I have some cookies in my bag; would you like one?”

Kiyoko looked at Akaashi for confirmation before nodding shyly, accepting a cookie and plopping down to share with her doll; Daisuke wasn’t surprised Suguru didn’t have any friends who showed up, although he found it impressive that Kuroo’s friends weren’t openly insulting his son like that large grey-haired cashier once did…Koutarou watched Sora and Kiyoko interact for a long minute before shaking his head in wonder.

“Wait a second,” Bokuto began in confusion. “Suguru isn’t adopted? You two are really _Suguru’s_ parents? Like, his _real_ _parents_?”

“Yes,” Daisuke nodded simply. “This surprises you?”

“But—But you’re so _nice_!”

Akaashi kicked his boyfriend’s leg, getting the other to yelp as the Suguru’s laughed under their breath, knowing their son’s reputation to be somewhat askew.

“Yes yes, we’re aware Daishou has a… _difficult_ personality,” Daisuke admitted. “But we love him too much to let him go in this alone. At least he’s finally letting us after however many months of the silent treatment…”

“He gave his own _parents_ the silent—”

A pinch from his beloved fiancé finally shut Bokuto up for a while, making Kiyoko giggle below them; despite the tension break, there was a troubling anxiety filling the room with every breath they took. Even without an intimate connection, the Suguru’s seemed greatly concerned for Kuroo’s current state, enough where Daisuke supplied Bokuto with endless cups of coffee and mindless comments to get his mind off the stressful situation. Sora found comfort in Kiyoko, hoping they would soon be holding a child of their own within the next hour or so; Bokuto went through every piece of information he had read-up on premature births before this point which only made him sick to his stomach.

“I can’t take this anymore!” Koutarou wailed, standing up again. “What’s taking them so long?!”

“There are many precautions to be taken when handling premature babies,” Akaashi explained, wringing his hands together in secret. Kiyoko noticed. “Although it is odd a nurse hasn’t come out with any news, yet…”

“I’m going to be sick—Kaashi, do you have any medicine I can take?”

“You really want to be doped-up when you hold your godchild?”

“No, of course not!” Bokuto cried. The receptionist glared at him again. “I’m just… _worried_.”

“I know,” Akaashi nodded, pulling his fiancé back down to the seat beside him. He ran a comforting hand up and down his arm. “I’m worried, too. But they’ll be okay.”

Bokuto always believed every word his boyfriend said, but today, he wasn’t too sure.

 

Back in the delivery room, Kuroo was doing his best to push, crying but still attempting to keep his breathing even as Daishou spoke in a gentle voice beside his head. They were both trying to remain calm, and through all the pain and tears, they just wanted to meet their son. They waited so long, had gone through so much shit to get to this point Kuroo almost forgot Shindo’s conception was an accident. He wanted him. Kuroo wanted to be his mother, and he wanted to hold him in his arms forever. Suguru must have wanted that just as badly, because he was now scenting Tetsurou while encouraging him to keep pushing, forgoing everything he learned from those stupid books and just going with his gut instinct.

“The head’s coming out! Come on, Kuroo-san, just a few more good pushes!” The doctor encouraged. The nurses had everything ready to go, eagerly awaiting by the bedside.

“He’s almost out, Kuroo,” Daishou said shakily, ignoring the tears running down his cheeks. “Our baby’s almost out—just a few more!”

Tetsurou focused all remaining energy he had left, ignored the terrible tearing feeling in his lower cavity and gave one more solid push; a burst of temporary relief exploded, a heavy object exiting onto the awaiting hands of the doctor.

“He’s out!” Dr. Sakiyama cheered.

Kuroo whimpered in agony, lower body still trembling and convulsing as Suguru froze, hearing a loud crying noise shatter the atmosphere of the delivery room. His eyes had been locked on the black-haired mess of Kuroo for so long he forgot to blink—when he did, Daishou glanced down where the nurses were cleaning a small, wet little object up with soft towels. The squirming object was the cause of the crying, which went quiet a second after the umbilical chord was cut and he was wrapped loosely in a warm blanket.

It was Shindo. _Their_ Shindo.

Suguru didn’t notice that he was bawling at this point, unable to take his eyes off the pinkish creature in the nurses arms as everyone hurried around. That was their son. That was the tiny baby they had waited so long for, the baby they already loved and cherished in the first few moments of his happy life.

“Let’s get him some skin-to-skin contact right away.”

“Time of birth 4:14 p.m.”

“Wan… _Want_ …” Tetsurou whispered through his fading vision, desperately clinging to the bright lights above in an attempt to stay awake. He didn’t want to pass out before he got to hold their son, clawing at Suguru’s wrist with what little strength he had left. “P-Please…let me…”

“It’s okay,” Suguru cried, unable or unwilling to blink as a nurse hurriedly brought the wailing baby over between them. His heart began pounding even harder the closer they got. “H-He’s right here, Kuroo.”

“Skin to skin contact is good for premature babies,” Dr. Sakiyama explained from below. The new parents heard, but weren’t listening entirely, too caught up with the scene as their baby began crying again: Suguru carefully pulled Kuroo into a higher seating position before the nurse gently laid the newborn right up against the exposed portion of his chest, the baby’s head immediately finding its comfortable spot underneath Tetsurou’s chin. As if by magic, his cries diminished to pitiful whimpers, feeling the warmth of Kuroo’s shaking hands cover his bare shoulders and cradle him lovingly. Tetsurou gasped at the contact, eyes suddenly widening in a burst of energy as Suguru burst into tears above them.

“O-h m-my g- _god_ ,” The chaebol sobbed, bringing a hand up to cover Kuroo’s. “He’s _so perfect_ …”

“Th…There’s… _ha_ …nothing—w-wrong with him?” Kuroo asked desperately, tearfully glancing up at the doctor as if a bomb would be dropped any second. “H-He’s _okay_?”

Suguru suddenly remembered the frantic circumstances of their son’s birth and jerked his head left to stare at Dr. Sakiyama, as if daring her to tell them something wasn’t quite right.

“He seems to be in perfect health, especially for a premature baby,” The doctor smiled gently. “Congratulations, Kuroo-san.”

Tetsurou couldn’t help but peer up at Daishou, hazel eyes wet with absolute joy as Suguru laid a sloppy kiss on his head, trembling hand moving to gently stroke their son’s dark head of hair. Shindo was here. He was actually here with them, laying on his mother’s chest as they cried over him—Suguru couldn’t believe it. Wasn’t it only yesterday that Kuroo had approached him, giving up the documents that confirmed his pregnancy? Wasn’t it only yesterday they told their families, sticking with each other through the good and the bad news?

“What’s his name, Kuroo-san?” A nurse asked curiously.

“Shindo,” Tetsurou sniffled, managing a sweet smile as he pressed his lips against the baby’s head. “Shindo Suguru.”

A bright smile made its way onto Suguru’s lips, but it faded a second later when another wave of pain jolted Kuroo back to reality, body flinching with agony.

“Kuroo?” Suguru sniffled worriedly, hands covering Shindo in case something happened. “W-What’s wrong?”

“There’s been some internal tearing,” Dr. Sakiyama informed them, returning below to assess the situation. The chaebol thought his heart had stopped. “It’s nothing critical, but we’ll need to stop the bleeding and clean you up, okay?”

“C-Can…Can I hold him for…for just a bit longer?” Kuroo practically begged, feeling his consciousness starting to tangle with him again.

“Of course you can, Kuroo-san. We’ll prepare our equipment for you.”

The pain was still radiating through the omega’s body as he held Shindo, but it didn’t feel so terrible when he looked back down at their son. He was already so compliant, much unlike his parents, laying on Kuroo’s chest quietly, his breathing soft as his left fingers twitched at all the new sensations he felt.

“You were so amazing, Kuroo,” Suguru complimented honestly, still bawling his eyes out beside the omega. “Y-You were so strong and cool…I-I can’t believe you _did this_ for us.”

“Couldn’t have done it…without you,” Tetsurou swallowed, peering up with teary eyes. “G-Guess those books were good for something, right?”

“I forgot every single word I read as soon as you told me your water broke,” The alpha laughed.

Kuroo laughed, too, but all too soon his few minutes were up, and the doctor sadly suggested he hand baby Shindo over to Suguru; it wasn’t that Kuroo didn’t trust the serpent, but he just really wanted to hold their son for a bit longer.

“It’s okay,” Daishou sniffled while holding his awaiting arms out. “I’ve got him, Kuroo. Don’t worry.”

“Mnot worried…”

It was Suguru’s turn to hold his son, more tears falling out as he eagerly accepted Shindo into his warm arms; of course it was too soon to tell, but Daishou thought Shindo looked like a mixture of both of them. His hair was black like Kuroo’s, still a bit wet and matted to his head, but his nose looked more like Suguru’s; he had yet to open his little eyelids, but Suguru didn’t care. He was finally holding his son.

Movement on the hospital bed brought Daishou back to reality; just as he glanced up, Kuroo was falling back into the pillows, exhausted and seconds away from passing out. The lights above were getting darker and darker, but the omega could still see Shindo’s face as clear as day. How he wanted to hold him again…he wanted to hold Suguru, too…

“You’ll be…a good dad.”

Following Kuroo’s whisper, his eyes closed loosely, Dr. Sakiyama and the nurses hurrying to get him cleaned and to stop the bleeding inside him. Daishou stepped to the side and allowed them to take over, worried eyes locked on Kuroo for a long moment after; Shindo began to squirm in his arms, gathering his attention once more. Suguru knew he was still bawling, but he just couldn’t help it—the alpha slowly strolled over to the window across the room, rocking an unsettled baby in his arms as he admired the tiny details of Shindo’s face. This little creature was all theirs. Daishou sucked in another shaking breath when the spring sunlight sparkled down across Shindo’s figure, making him move a bit more, cuddling deeper into his father’s chest. The pink glow of the cherry blossoms raked across his beautiful face, and Daishou thought he looked more like his mother than ever. He grazed a fingertip across Shindo’s velvety cheek, feeling the blood pumping at a healthy level beneath the fragile skin.

 

“You’re finally here, spring day,” Suguru whispered with a smile reserved only for his son. “You’re finally here, Shindo Suguru.”

~~~-~~~

“Jeez, I’m so worried! It’s been over an hour!” Bokuto wailed dramatically, glancing at his clock that read 5:30. “What was the exact time he went into labor again?”

“He texted us at 3:40ish; speaking of that,” Akaashi hummed, glancing around the waiting room. “I wonder wh—”

“Where’s Tetsurou?!”

On cue, a disheveled, plaid-wearing Mori Kuroo came sprinting into the room, expression wild with fear and concern for his only son who was nowhere in sight. Bokuto stood up to meet him, speaking calmly despite his own hysteria.

“He’s in the delivery room with Suguru, Mori.”

“Still?”

“Yeah. How’d you get here so quickly? Doesn’t it take like an hour and fifteen-minutes to drive from Nekoma?”

“You think I would miss my grandson’s birth just because of some lousy traffic rules?” Mori joked weakly, noticing the Suguru’s sitting beside their group. “Hey, nice to see you again, Daisuke.”

“Same to you,” Daisuke nodded, getting up to firmly shake Mori’s hand. “Although I wish it were under less stressful circumstances.”

“Excuse me!”

A light, happy voice cut through their introduction, alerting everyone to a nurse’s presence.

“Is this the Kuroo-Suguru party?”

“YES!” Bokuto shouted, earning another pinch from Akaashi. “Yes, that’s us!”

“How’s Tetsurou?” Mori asked immediately as everyone stood frantically, crowding around the nurse. “Is the baby okay?”

“The mother and baby are both fine.”

Everyone exhaled in relief, Mori grabbing onto Bokuto’s arm to steady himself. They were okay. Kuroo was okay.

“R-Really?” Bokuto whimpered. “They’re really okay?”

“Of course! We had to do some clean-up and stopped some minor bleeding inside Kuroo-san, but they’re both quite fine, now. The baby needs to be stabilized and weighed before bringing everyone in; there are a few precautions we have to take, given that he’s a premature baby, but I’ll be back soon to usher you inside.”

The nurse bowed and re-entered the delivery room, leaving the family to cheer and grab onto each other in joy. Mori had to sit down in a chair from all the stress, relieved more than anything that his son had successfully delivered the baby without hurting himself too severely in the process.

“MY GODSON IS ALIVE!”

Bokuto sobbed at Akaashi’s feet like a baby, Kiyoko doing her best to comfort him as everyone stared.

“At this rate we’re never having another kid together, Bokuto-san.”

“Kaashi, why would you say that?!”

Back inside the delivery room, Kuroo had regained consciousness, though he still felt a little ill and totally exhausted. Shindo was currently being weighed and measured under the careful watch of his father as Tetsurou smiled at the dark-haired baby from the hospital bed.

“Baby Shindo Suguru, weighing in at six pounds, two ounces, measuring eighteen inches.”

“That’s pretty small…” Daishou whispered to himself, biting his nails worriedly as Dr. Sakiyama carefully folded Shindo back into his blanket. She took him back over to Kuroo and observed Shindo’s coloring as they continued with skin-to-skin contact, feeling his tiny lungs breathe evenly as he fell soundly asleep against his mother.

“The skin to skin contact seems to be working efficiently,” Dr. Sakiyama nodded in approval. “He’s gaining a lot of color, and he seems to have no problems breathing. How is he doing that, I wonder?”

“I don’t know anything about premature birth,” Kuroo whispered quietly, as to not disturb Shindo. “Are we going to have to put him in one of those freaky incubator things?”

“Normally I would say yes, but Shindo is a rather strong little fella—I don’t see any serious problems in him that we usually see in premature babies.”

A sniffling noise came from the side, and Tetsurou rolled his eyes dramatically when he saw that there were still tears dripping from Daishou’s eyes.

“Suguru, you’re honestly still bawling?”

“This is the greatest moment of my life, Kuroo, what do you want me to do?!”

“How bout you come lay with Shindo and I?”

“…I can’t believe he’s really here,” Suguru said softly, obeying the omega’s command and carefully sliding in beside Kuroo on the bed. “I mean, we prepared for him to come eventually, but…I can’t believe that day was today.”

“He seemed to have ideas of his own,” Tetsurou smiled. His arms felt like jelly, but there was no way he would let Shindo fall. “…I guess he’s just been yanking our string this entire time. When you think about it, Shindo’s been calling the shots since August.”

“I’m going to spoil him so much,” The chaebol openly confessed, eyes wide and shining as he drifted a hand up to cup Shindo’s tiny little head. “I’ll give him whatever he wants, and whatever he wants to be I’ll make sure he’s given the tools to succeed. He can have everything.”

“I think he already has everything, don’t you?”

Suguru was startled by that comment and even more startled to see Kuroo gazing up at him with an intensely romantic gaze, tired hazel eyes sending a silent message. That message became very clear when the omega leaned his neck upwards, initiating a kiss Daishou eagerly complied to, meeting him halfway and pressing his lips against Tetsurou’s, Shindo still sleeping below them. Suguru wished someone would have taken a picture of the perfect moment, but there was no way he would ever forget how the warm spring sun sprinkled over the hospital bed, how close and connected he was to the idiot he had fallen in love with, how warm Kuroo’s grinning lips were, how soft and gentle Shindo was, all wrapped up in his pale green blanket…there was no way Suguru could forget any of the dramatic events throughout his junior year of college that led to April 16th, the day their lives were changed for the better, and the day they all changed for the better, and for each other.

“I’ve missed that,” Daishou admitted in a hum against Kuroo’s lips. “Probably more than I’d like to admit…”

“Me too,” Tetsurou chuckled. “But we’ll have make-up sex later—let’s bring those hooligans in now so I can get some sleep after they leave.”

The hospital room was quieter than ever as the nurse ushered their friends and family inside, Bokuto even going silent while creeping behind Akaashi, apparently scared to be the first to meet his own godson. Mori and the Suguru’s were hot on their trail, mood rising even higher when Daishou and Kuroo both peered up at their group with soft, illuminated smiles, a tiny bundle of joy resting in the omega’s arms. The scents in the room were wild with positive energy, the fancy rainforest smell combined with a fresh new scent that pulled everyone in immediately. Suguru kept an arm around Tetsurou’s shoulder the entire time, admiring his son the same way everyone else was—Mori was more relieved than ever to see his son alive and well, resisting his urge to tackle Kuroo in a tight hug as their group settled around the hospital bed, ooing and awing over little dark-haired baby Shindo in a long, indescribable moment of euphoria. Bokuto was the only one who didn’t comment, apparently shocked dumb upon meeting his godson.

“Oh my goodness,” Sora cooed, covering her mouth as tears sprung up in her eyes. “He is so _precious_ …”

“Look at that hair,” Mori laughed quietly. His eyes were wider than ever, never taking their focus off his grandson for even a moment. “I can’t believe that’s the gene you chose to pass on, Tetsurou.”

“He’s perfect, Daishou,” Daisuke smiled, squeezing his son’s shoulder warmly. “Congratulations to the both of you.”

“Thank you,” Kuroo whispered. His gaze went to Akaashi and Bokuto, who were staring wildly at the baby but had yet to speak, though Akaashi’s eyes were a bit glossy. “Well? What do you think?”

“He’s adorable, Kuroo-san. Congratulations,” Keiji said brightly, Kiyoko nodding in agreement as her large eyes stared at Shindo. “Welcome to motherhood.”

“Don’t you have anything to say, godfather?” Suguru said, raising an eyebrow at Bokuto, who had silent tears streaming down his cheeks. At the mention of the title godfather Bokuto let his tears fall more freely, sobbing into Akaashi’s shoulder as he shook his head, apparently unable to handle the situation. He wailed something they couldn’t understand, getting light laughs from everyone while they continued crowding around Shindo. Everyone cooed and remarked how his hair was a mess like Kuroo’s, but that his nose already looked like Suguru’s; all the while Daishou never took his arm away from Tetsurou, never stopped beaming or gazing down at his son. When the time came to share Shindo, Kuroo reluctantly eased his baby into Daisuke’s arms, watching proudly as he was oogled and kissed and held by people he loved. Any doubts the omega had about the future were gone. At least for an hour or two, everything was perfect, everything was fine. Mori joked that he better hold the baby last, as he probably wouldn’t let go for a solid hour, and when their son finally made his way into Mori’s arms, they figured it was time to reveal the name they chose.

“Wanna hear the name?” Kuroo teased, grinning up at them.

“Yes, yes, tell us the name!” Bokuto finally begged. “I bet it’s a super cool name!”

Suguru and Tetsurou exchanged a bright look before Daishou slowly flickered his eyes over to where Mori was standing with the baby, still smiling as he opened his mouth.

“Shindo,” He said. “Shindo Mori Suguru.”

Bokuto burst into tears again, covering his face as Mori peered up in surprise, beaming none of the less as the news sunk-in. Kuroo wanted to laugh at his shocked expression but was way too tired.

“Tetsu…you didn’t—you didn’t have to do that…”

“We wanted to,” Suguru answered for them, gazing down at Kuroo with that serene, obviously in love expression. “My dad will get the next one if it’s a boy.”

“The _next_ one?” Kuroo repeated, eyes widening. “There’s going to be a _next_ one?! When did I agree to those terms?!”

That got a good laugh out of everyone, the group still taking turns holding Shindo for a solid hour as Suguru and his omega continued lying beside each other, caught between awareness and obliviousness while cuddling up to each other, whispering compliments every now and then when they thought no one was paying any attention…they had been right about Shindo bringing them together. Kuroo wanted to know if this meant they were officially dating again, if this meant they really were going to have a “next one” someday…but all his questions faded away in favor of the current scene in front of them. Bokuto found his way back to his godson again, cooing and kissing Shindo’s fluttering eyelids as he was lovingly held by everyone in the group, never crying out or squirming even when Kiyoko held him. Kuroo was the one suffering from his absence, finally getting his son back and listening distantly to the conversation around them, Suguru’s gentle fingers wrapping around the omega’s while he cradled Shindo to his chest. They had survived childbirth. They had survived nine months of what they thought was torture together, and had survived relationship highs and lows, lots of hate/love sex and lingering feelings. They were surrounded by people they loved who loved their out of wedlock son without a doubt.

_I guess I found another reason to love spring._

When it was finally time for bed and their friends had to leave, Kuroo was very sorry, though Suguru seemed eager to be alone with his precious son and almost-boyfriend again. Bokuto hugged his best friend for a solid four-minutes before being pulled away by Akaashi, alerting Mori back to the news of their engagement, which brought up an entirely different argument.

“Koutarou, I totally forgot about your engagement!” Kuroo’s father said excitedly, slapping Bokuto on the back happily. “Congratulations again!”

“Thanks!!!”

“Hey—don’t steal Shindo’s thunder again!” Suguru snapped, though his tone was nowhere near upset.

“I’m not the one who brought it up, snake boy!”

“A baby is _way_ more exciting than a lame wedding, Bokuto-san,” Kiyoko teased, though her eyes were dead serious. Kuroo snorted when his friend’s mouth fell open. “Babies are wayyyy cuter, too.”

“Kaashi, are you going to let her talk about us like that?!”

“Well, she’s not wrong,” Akaashi shrugged, grazing a finger over Shindo’s soft hair one final time. If Kuroo didn’t know any better, he’d say the other omega was starting to have baby fever. His midnight blue eyes had been thoughtful all afternoon, only leaving Shindo to look between his fiancé and daughter every once in a while. “We’ll get out of your hair, now, Kuroo-san. Congratulations again. We’re happy you’re all okay.”

“Thanks, Kaashi. You’re the real MVP.”

“I’m the godfather, here, give me some love!”

“No,” Suguru said, stopping Bokuto from giving his omega another timely hug. “You’ve had enough hugging for one day. Come back during business hours.”

Akaashi rounded up his family as they gave one last wave to the happy family; Kuroo had never seen the Suguru’s and his father smile so much. Of course, he now understood why they found grandchildren so fascinating, but the level at which Shindo would be spoiled was starting to concern him. At this rate he would become a mini Daishou before he turned three.

“I’m so happy for you, Daishou!” Sora bawled into his shoulder as she pulled him in for another embrace, pulling her reluctant son away from Kuroo and Shindo. “You know if you need anything, _anything_ at all, just let us know.”

“Thanks Mom. You’re the best.”

That remark made Sora cry even more, tugged away by her husband only so he could pull his bratty son into a hug as well.

“Congratulations, Dai. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it, okay?”

“Yeah, Dad…thanks. Sorry about everything…”

“Don’t worry about that, now,” Daisuke told him with a smile. “It’s all in the past.”

In his very emotional state, Suguru really wanted to cry again, relieved beyond measure that this entire mess was behind them. Hopefully Shindo would be a good enough distraction where they could forget the troubling events leading to his birth. Looking at how closely he brought their family together already, Daishou had to wonder how anyone could ever think about abandoning their child. It was unspeakable. Suguru would have to thank Kuroo again for letting him be in their son’s life.

After the Suguru’s left, giving Tetsurou and Shindo hugs as well, Mori was the only one left standing. He didn’t speak for a minute, just admiring the scene of them laying on the hospital bed together like he had been doing for the past three hours or so. Kuroo admired his proud gaze, that glimmer in his aged eyes, the one he saw whenever he peered up from the volleyball court and saw his dad clapping for Nekoma…he and Suguru discussed Shindo’s middle name months earlier, deciding that since Mori had been loyal and kind to them through it all, he should be honored in his first grandchild’s name. Mori must have been touched, given how quiet he was now when it was time to be going; he would be staying at their apartment for the next few days, until he was sure they were settled in, but sleeping miles away was going to be tough.

“Well…I suppose I’ll let you get some rest, Tetsu,” Mori sighed, pushing himself onto his feet. “Can I kiss my grandson one last time?”

“You’re coming back tomorrow morning, Dad,” Kuroo reminded him, though he carefully leaned Shindo up so Mori could kiss his forehead.

“I know, I know, but it’s too far away,” He laughed lightly. Suguru was no longer surprised by the warm hugs he received from the older alpha, standing up fully so he could return the embrace. “Congrats again, Daishou—I’m happy you’re part of our family. If you ever get sick of changing diapers at three in the morning, drop Shindo off in Nekoma, alright?”

“Will do,” Suguru chuckled, though he doubted he would ever get sick of changing diapers. (Of course he would, but right now he was too euphoric to think any negative thoughts.) “Thanks for everything, Mori. You’ll be the best grandpa ever, I’m sure of it.”

Mori was tearing up again when he pulled away, leaning down to embrace Kuroo for a long moment, careful of Shindo balancing in his arms.

“I’m so proud of you, Tetsurou. You’re already an amazing parent, just like your mother.”

“And you,” Kuroo sniffled. “I learned a lot from you…t-thanks, Dad.”

“Love you,” Mori laughed through his tears, pulling away to kiss Shindo’s soft hair. “And I love _you_ , Shindo.”

“Don’t forget to feed Sagwa!”

“I won’t, I won’t…”

“Text me when you get back to the apartment,” Suguru reminded Mori. “Thanks for coming.”

“Anytime, Daishou. Anytime.”

Suguru and Kuroo were finally left alone with baby Shindo for the first time in hours; the socialization and being passed off to every next person must have exhausted the little guy, because he settled-in against his mother effortlessly, tiny nostrils blowing air against Kuroo’s bare skin. Aside from being on the small side of things, Shindo was a healthy baby and did not yet have any medical conditions to be concerned about; those were worried for another day, for later check-ups. Right now, all Tetsurou wanted to do was sleep knowing Shindo wouldn’t be kicking his bladder every five-minutes.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Daishou asked softly, taking note of Kuroo’s pale complexion and bruised forearms from the IV’s inserted into his arms. Even in the darkness of the room he noticed the off-color skin. “You still look like you’re going to pass out again.”

“Yeah…my legs are exhausted from keeping them spread for hours, though.” Tetsurou thought about his wording and regretted it. “…I’m so glad Bokuto wasn’t here to hear that.”

“Just precautionary. You can’t irritate or re-tear anything.”

“I know, I know…do you want to hold him, now? I’ve been hogging him for a while.”

Daishou gladly accepted his son, cradling him gently as he laid beside Kuroo. Shindo’s pinkness was starting to fade already, replaced in spots by more of a Suguru tint, not a porcelain pale, but more of a cool shade that matched his black hair perfectly. While at first his hairstyle looked crazy and wild like his mother’s, Daishou thought it looked much more mild, now (thank goodness), flattened against his head neatly as he cuddled against the green blanket snugly. Suguru couldn’t believe he had the honor of protecting and cherishing this tiny creature. How had he gotten so lucky? How had he managed to knock-up someone he accidentally fell in love with? Things could have turned out so terrible if he hadn’t found Kuroo. Suguru didn’t want Shindo to be anything other than a dorky, black-haired cat like his mother.

“I’m so glad it was you I ran into at that bus stop.”

Kuroo peeked open his fatigued eyes in surprise, expression irritating Suguru despite the serenity of their current situation.

“Why are you shocked, moron?!” Daishou chided him. “I already told you how much I loved you after our fight!”

“It’s still weird to hear it coming from your mortal enemy, Dai-chan!” The omega pouted, turning his blushing cheeks into the nearest pillow.

“Tch. Shindo, can you believe this guy?” The chaebol asked their son, brushing a hand over his tiny face. “We fell in love because of you and he _still_ won’t admit it.”

“There are other ways to say I love you, you know! Didn’t you notice how I stopped teasing you about your ugly turtlenecks? If that’s not love I don’t know what is!”

Kuroo continued to pout for the next ten-minutes as it was Suguru’s turn to be stunned, suddenly realizing all the changes Tetsurou had made to his life that benefitted Daishou. For once, Kuroo was right—he hated doing dishes, but he would do them since Suguru had a long day at work. He hated ironing, but did so anyway because he knew Suguru hated wrinkles in his clothing. He didn’t really like sharing his fancy bed but had re-allowed Suguru to return because the couch was terribly uncomfortable, and Kuroo didn’t want the moron to be uncomfortable. There was also the generosity during sex that would never be spoken of out-loud. Daishou felt like a jerk, now. Of _course_ Kuroo fell madly in love with him. He was a sucker for Korean things, and Daishou spoke and dressed in a Korean style. He loved ramen and Daishou brought him ramen at least once a week. They were both pretty talented at the whole sex thing, given what point they were at in life right now, and Suguru couldn’t forget how giving they were when it came to all-nighters on both ends. His conclusion was that they were both idiots, idiots for each other, and Shindo was now thrown in the mix.

But if anything, Suguru was comforted by the fact that their son had been created with love lingering in the background.

Pouting took what little energy Kuroo had remaining, and the next time Daishou broke his gaze off Shindo he found the omega sleeping soundly, breaths bouncing off the pillowcase and echoing through the silence of their hospital room. Suguru exhaled deeply, getting rid of any negative thoughts about the future before laying a kiss on Kuroo’s head and sliding off the bed. Shindo never stirred for a moment, allowing his father to carefully place him in the prepared hospital crib where Shindo would be monitored by his parents and nurses for the next few nights. Suguru tucked his son in for the first time, wiping another tear away as Shindo’s eyes fluttered at the soft sensation—Daishou couldn’t think of anywhere else he would want to be.

 

“Happy spring day, Shindo Suguru.”

 

_April 20 th_

Shindo and his parents had to stay at the hospital longer than the other new parents just to make sure Shindo was stable enough to go home. Their long days were broken up by cheerful visits from the new grandparents, Bokuto and Akaashi, even some old volleyball pals, although Lev wasn’t allowed to hold Shindo, which he admitted was a good idea, given his clumsy tendencies. Kenma even held Shindo for a few minutes, looking closer to tears than Kuroo had ever seen before. Yaku was surprisingly overjoyed about the baby, all past suspicions and concerns thrown aside when Mori pointed out how much Shindo looked like Kuroo already. Personally, Suguru thought the hair was seriously leaning towards more of his style, soft tuft of bangs beginning to turn to the right side just like his, but Tetsurou was having none of that. At the very least, it seemed that Shindo would get Kuroo’s pretty hazel eyes, though he had yet to open them completely; their doctor wasn’t concerned about Shindo’s weight or lungs, confirming all his physical health to be just fine. There were still a few final tests today, though, and Kuroo couldn’t wait to get out of the hospital and back home so they could spend their first few days as a family alone.

“I love people doting over Shindo, but I’m always so relieved when everyone’s gone,” Suguru sighed deeply, taking the baby so Kuroo could get his coat on. His disgusting labor jeans had to be thrown away, but Mori ran home and collected their baby bag, bringing along a new outfit for his son as well while Daisuke traded the Acura for their new family van, which was waiting for them in the parking lot. “Do we have everything packed-up and ready to go?”

“I think so. Awww, Shindo, you look so cute in your first tiny outfit!” Kuroo cooed, adoring the baggy but precious red onesie with a cat on the front of it. “You are definitely going to be the babe of daycare one day.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“Come on—let’s go do your final tests so we can go home!”

The duo now turned into a trio began walking down the hallway together, Shindo settled in Suguru’s arms, right arm dangling outward until Kuroo tucked it back inside the blanket. So far he had been a very calm baby (which was shocking, considering how Daisuke and Mori had been telling horror stories about his parents when they were babies), waking only a few times throughout the night and only struggling to latch on during feeding time the first occasion. Suguru wasn’t allowed to watch feeding time since he was “a teat sucker who might get turned on like a sicko,” but Kuroo kept him updated on how much Shindo was eating. Breastfeeding was a weird sensation to experience, but since Shindo seemed to enjoy eating to his heart’s content, Tetsurou disregarded all those thoughts telling him it was weird. Kuroo couldn’t wait to see his son’s personality start to flourish after those long months of waiting, though he did feel concerned about how needy Shindo was when it came to being held nearly every hour of every day—if all else failed and Shindo became a spoiled brat, it was comforting that Suguru was the obvious blame for that character trait.

“You know what I’m not looking forward to, Shindo-chan?” Tetsurou cooed to their baby. “Losing all this baby fat. I’m going to have to play lots of volleyball games with uncle Bokuto to get back into shape so daddy will sleep with me again.”

“You’ve been making a lot of hints ever since we got to the hospital,” Daishou raised an eyebrow. “You always call me a teat sucker, but _you’re_ the one wh—”

_Crash!!!_

As the trio emerged into a four-way hallway, continuing their journey straight, something fell from a nearby nurse’s station in the right hallway over and shattered across the floor, making a loud, echoing noise that startled nearly every person standing within ear shot. Daishou’s eyes widened immediately as he and Kuroo both looked down at their son, waiting for that piercing, sharp crying that would most likely be triggered by the scary noise—but it never came. In fact, Shindo didn’t so much as move at the noise, nose twitching a bit, though that was probably caused by just another baby sensation he wasn’t used to yet.

“Wow! He didn’t even flinch!” Kuroo noted, Shindo opening his eyes ever-so-slightly when his mother’s finger ran across his cheek. “You’re such a tough baby, Shindo. Way tougher than your daddy.”

“…That was weird. Babies cry when you touch them, so you’d think a bad noise like that would make him bawl for hours,” Daishou wondered, rocking Shindo in his arms in comfort. “He didn’t even get agitated and start squirming around…”

“Hopefully that means he’s a lot more emotionally stable than us. We’re both such suckers it’s hard to believe we haven’t gotten wasted and had a kid together before this point!”

“ _What_?” Suguru stressed as they walked up the staircase to their final appointment. “I’m not nearly as much of a sucker as you, teat-boy.”

“Yeah right!” Kuroo screeched. That got a small reaction from Shindo, probably because he could sense the excitement and teasing in his mother’s scent. “How much money have you spent on me since we started living together, Mr. I Don’t Share My Korean Beauty Products! You’re lucky I’m kind enough to not ask for the things I want most—your sorry butt would be broke!”

“You let Shindo eat whatever junk he wanted when he was in the womb!”

“Yeah, well, you let me eat whatever I wanted even though I already had an overdose of sugar going on!”

“Mangey alley cat…” Suguru mumbled.

“Teat-sucking Slytherin stupid butt-head!”

“What?”

Kuroo giggled as they entered the check-up room where Dr. Sakiyama was already waiting for them with another nurse. Shindo fussed a little when he had to be removed from his blanket cocoon but complied to all the tests without bursting into tears like he did when Daishou first changed his diaper. First, Dr. Sakiyama checked his eyesight, following up with his reflexes and reaction to touches on his legs and arms; the nurse helped re-check all the little details one had to check with a premature baby, confirming the stability of Shindo’s breathing, heartrate and bones. Though he was a little on a small side, it didn’t seem that he would have any trouble growing in the near future. Even though Dr. Sakiyama was confirming that everything was okay with their newborn, Suguru couldn’t push away the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. It seemed to grow as every test passed by until they had reached the final one.

“Shindo hasn’t even had trouble latching on?” Dr. Sakiyama asked in surprise, covering the baby back up with his pale green blanket (that, of course, had baby snakes on it). “That’s unusual for premature babies. Good for him.”

“I know, right?” Kuroo bragged as Suguru stood by Shindo’s side in silence, watching as the nurse brought out the hearing test objects. “He had a little difficulty right away, but he’s been doing well since then. Aren’t you a little stud already, Shindo? Yes, yes you are!”

Daishou rolled his eyes, though he was secretly a sucker for baby talk. But he would never admit it to anyone aside from Shindo himself.

“He’s certainly a tough little one,” The nurse agreed. “I thought for sure we would have to place him in the incubator, given how early he was.”

“Thankfully Shindo’s tough, just like his mommy. Right, Suguru?” Tetsurou grinned at him. Suguru hated that he loved that spiteful smirk and simply sighed in response.

His tenseness returned when Dr. Sakiyama took out a special set of tiny headphones and placed them over Shindo’s ears.

“So what we’re doing here is called an ABR, or an Auditory Brainstem Response; we place the headphones over the baby’s ears and attach two electrodes to his head. The electrodes measure Shindo’s response to noises played through the headphones. We usually do this test for all premature babies since the test we normally use on newborns can’t always pick-up on specific hearing problems in preemies. Are we ready to go?”

The nurse nodded, having placed a few electrodes on Shindo’s tiny head as Suguru kept a hand on him to keep the baby still; Kuroo looked nervous for the first time today, seeing their son all hooked-up to a machine…but Daishou didn’t think he felt as nervous as he did. That bad feeling was still burned into his stomach as he watched Dr. Sakiyama press a few buttons on the machine, turning his eyes to look intently at the screen recording Shindo’s hearing reaction.

“First noise.”

Shindo’s face crunched up uncomfortably, his tiny hands twitching and trying to grab for whatever was wrapped around his head. Suguru bit his lip and tried to keep Shindo still.

“Second noise.”

The baby’s left hand continued its attempts to move upwards towards the headphones, causing Daishou to slide a finger into Shindo’s grasp so he had something to hold onto; Kuroo watched anxiously as Dr. Sakiyama’s brow furrowed, eyes staring at the screen in contempt.

“Second noise again.”

Shindo seemed to settle down, then, squeezing his father’s finger as tightly as he could. Kuroo didn’t understand how to read the recordings on the computer, but serious concern set in when Dr. Sakiyama left her station and slid the headphones off Shindo’s ears, replacing them with a single ear bud that the nurse attached to the baby’s left ear.

“What’s that?” Kuroo dared to ask, coming forward to stand on Shindo’s right side.

“Just another form of the hearing test,” Dr. Sakiyama explained. “There were some irregularities with Shindo’s hearing in his right ear. Let’s try the first noise again.”

Suguru opened his mouth to speak but found himself silent as a noise of disagreement left Shindo’s mouth. The nurse nodded and then moved the earbud to Shindo’s right ear.

“…Try the second noise with this one.”

“The louder one?”

“Yes.”

“Why the louder one?” Tetsurou questioned, watching as more colors appeared on the computer screen. He didn’t get a verbal answer this time. Instead, all the confirmation he needed was in the silence that radiated through the small room when the louder noise played through the earbud and Shindo didn’t so much as flinch.

Suguru and Kuroo locked eyes in that moment, hearts pounding with worry and panic as Dr. Sakiyama slid away from the computer again, sliding the earbud off Shindo’s right ear and slipping the electrodes off gently. She hesitated a moment before snapping her fingers on the baby’s left side—Shindo liked that noise, apparently, because a tiny, happy sound flew off his lips. Kuroo wanted to smile at that, but his concerns laid elsewhere. Dr. Sakiyama lifted her other hand up, holding her fingers hardly an inch away from Shindo’s right ear and snapped.

“He doesn’t hear it,” Suguru choked out when their son didn’t flinch. “He didn’t hear the noise in the hallway, either…”

“But…why?” Tetsurou wondered, a thousand terrible thoughts running through his mind. “Why can he hear from his left ear and not his right one?”

“Hearing problems are common in premature babies,” The nurse informed them lightly. “Sometimes certain functioning nerves aren’t completely developed when mothers go into labor early, so when the baby is born they don’t always have the full set of senses, if you will.”

“His blood tests and scans were all clear, so if there is damage to his right hearing, it only applies to that specific ear and is not in danger of spreading to his left ear,” Dr. Sakiyama clarified. “We’ll wait a few more days before running the same test again; there’s always a chance of some fluids being stuck in a newborn’s hearing canal that restricts their hearing. We’ll schedule an appointment for the 23rd and confirm Shindo-chan’s status then. Sound okay?”

Kuroo and Suguru shared another look, eyes wide as if they couldn’t believe what was happening. After glancing down at Shindo again, who was reaching upwards for something he didn’t know how to ask for, yet, Kuroo swallowed his fear and spoke for them.

“O-Okay,” He nodded shortly, unconsciously reaching out to lay his hand over Suguru’s across Shindo’s tummy. “We’ll wait until then before jumping to conclusions. It’ll be fine.”

“Yeah,” Suguru lied to himself. “It’ll be fine…”

“Well, since all the other tests were clear, Shindo is free to go home! Congratulations again. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to call, and if you’re worried about anything, please bring Shindo in.”

“Thank you for all your help, Dr. Sakiyama.”

“My pleasure.”

Daishou shook himself out of a stupor and helped wrap Shindo back in his blanket, tucking the baby inside his carrier as the trio slowly and silently made their way to the hospital lobby, bags and supplies in hand. The lower portions of Kuroo’s body still ached and throbbed terribly, but he could hardly care about his own pain as he glanced down at their newborn baby, millions of questions bouncing back and forth inside his head. Was Shindo really deaf in his right ear? Did it have something to do with the fall Kuroo took when he was pregnant? Was it something he ate or something he didn’t eat? Would Shindo hate him for it when he got older? Tetsurou didn’t know, but he felt like he had betrayed the baby somehow as they securely strapped him inside the van and prepared for their first drive home.

“Kuroo.”

The dark-haired omega glanced over, torn out of his thoughts by Daishou reaching for his hand, green eyes intent with purpose. He looked like such a dorky mini-van dad already.

“Let’s worry about it later,” Suguru suggested. “For now, let’s just be happy. Okay?”

“…You’re right,” Kuroo sighed deeply, squeezing his hand in return. “He’s alive and well. I’m thankful for that.”

“Good boy.”

“… _What_ did you just say?”

“Shut up,” Daishou mumbled, putting the grey van in reverse. It was difficult maneuvering a vehicle that wasn’t nearly as smooth as the Acura. “I was just trying to be encouraging. Now be quiet so I can focus driving this stupid thing.”

“What are we going to name it?”

“Name what? The van?”

“Yeah! It has to have a dorky name to match yours,” Kuroo insisted, glancing at Shindo in the mirror. The little bugger was already fast asleep, oblivious to the bickering in the front seat. “Let me think…Shindo, Sagwa and the Acura are named after TV shows, so maybe we should go another route. It’s spring, which reminds me of pretty boys, which reminds me o—”

“Of me?” Suguru snickered proudly.

“Um, ew, no. I was thinking more along the lines of sexy Korean popstars. Oh—I’ve got it! We’ll name the van _G-Dragon_!”

Suguru needed a moment to imagine Shindo being mortified over his mother calling their mini-van G-Dragon in front of his friends before shaking his head in disgust.

“No. We’re not naming it G-Dragon,” The chaebol huffed. “How about…Suga?”

“Suga!” Kuroo exclaimed excitedly, grabbing onto Daishou’s arm and alarming him, as he was driving very carefully as to not disturb their newborn. “Why didn’t _I_ think of that?! _Spring Day_ is Shindo’s anthem! You’re such a bratty genius, Dai-chan!”

Suguru burned this memory into his head, certain he would never be called a genius by Kuroo ever again for as long as he lived; they avoided the meat of Tokyo traffic by taking the long way back home, checking on Shindo every few minutes or whenever they accidentally hit a bump. They managed to make it to the apartment complex unharmed, Daishou gathering all their belongings along with the baby carrier on his arms so Kuroo didn’t accidentally strain himself. Everything was ready at home and bringing Shindo inside was the only thing left to do. The trio excitedly made their way up the stairs, all but forgetting about the scene they used to see whenever they walked through this hallway, slowly opening the door and emerging into Shindo’s new home.

“We’re home, Shindo Suguru!” Kuroo cooed softly, taking the carrier from Daishou and setting it on the ground so he could gently take the baby into his arms. “This isn’t the apartment where you were conceived, but don’t worry, mommy and daddy have had lots of sex in here, too.”

“D-Don’t say that crap to him, idiot!”

“He doesn’t even know what I’m saying, Suguru. Chill out.”

Suguru sighed but smiled brightly as Kuroo began giving Shindo a tour of their apartment, the alpha following along cheerfully; firstly, they introduced him to Sagwa, an adorable meeting that resulted in Sagwa nearly crawling into the baby’s blanket with him, then they showed him the living room, the fancy kitchen and expensive bathroom, followed by Daishou’s large wardrobe and Shindo’s nursery. He looked so perfect with the light pink shade of the room Suguru felt more tears welling up in the backs of his eyes, though he managed to hold them down for the time being. Kuroo showed Shindo the spring-themed origami, the little decorations Kimmi Kuroo had in her son’s room when he was young, the letters that spelled his name over the crib…if Suguru didn’t know any better, he would say Shindo knew exactly what they were talking about, sleepily making noise when they moved into their bedroom, though he was back asleep before Kuroo even laid him on the mattress. Daishou laid on the baby’s left side and Tetsurou on the right, both admiring the tiny creature dreaming between them; that terrible idea of bad news kept harassing the back of Kuroo’s mind, but he stubbornly pushed it away in favor of watching his newborn son sleep.

“I just love looking at him,” The omega giggled, running a finger along Shindo’s covered foot. “He’s such an angel…”

“So far. I’m sure once he develops more of your personality we’ll have a harder time.”

“Shut up…I’m not that difficult to deal with.”

Suguru gave him a look before returning his attention to Shindo, whom he couldn’t believe was sleeping so soundly already. Then again, newborn babies pretty much just slept and pooped for the first few weeks after birth, and since this was probably the only time in Shindo’s life where he would go to sleep willingly, Daishou took what he could get. Soft afternoon light flittered in through the shades of the bedroom, flashing across the baby’s face warmly and making him stir ever-so-slightly. His dark hair was much milder today, only a few strands sticking out here and there—Daishou thought he was an even mixture of both of them, eyes not as narrow as his own, but not as wide as Kuroo’s. Laying here with Shindo, watching him be so at peace…it felt like there wasn’t any problem they couldn’t solve.

“Picture time, Shindo!”

Kuroo whipped out his phone and began taking dozens of pictures from different angles, immediately sending them to everyone he knew and setting them as his background photos. Suguru posed for a couple, crying and laughing during most of them, and by the end of their first photoshoot Kuroo’s phone was ringing off the hook, mostly with comments about a specific picture where Suguru was laughing while Shindo sleepily held onto his finger.

“We should have like, ten more kids!” Tetsurou exclaimed, making the alpha choke on his own spit. “Everyone loves you when you have a kid! Look at all these texts I’m getting!”

 **Mika-channnn (the ex)** : _Awwwww, so precious!!! (Shindo, not Daishou) Can’t wait to meet the little fella!     (6:28 p.m.)_

 **the bobfather** : _MY GODSON LET ME LOVE U     (6:30 p.m.)_

 **Akaashi the Acupuncturist** : _This might be the cutest picture I have ever seen.     (6:35 p.m.)_

 **Daddio** : _so cute! Can’t wait 2 c him again : )     (6:36 p.m.)_

 **Leeeeeeev (aka do not answer)** : _wow!!! Suguru-san can smile????     (6:40 p.m.)_

 **Bi Kai** : _I can’t believe ur kid is so cute…this must be what miracles r like      (6:42 p.m.)_

 **Sora Suguru** : _MUCH LOVE TO OUR GRANDSON!!!!!!! HAVE A GOOD FIRST NIGHT <3      (6:44 p.m.)_

 **precious pudding head** : _kawaii x 3     (6:48 p.m.)_

 **it’s Konoha bitch** : _omg. Shindo must be an angel to lie next to a snake like that. Can’t wait to meet him (hint hint, invite me over)       (6:50 p.m.)_

“Haha!”

“Why is everyone insulting me? Can’t I be happy without people being suspicious?” Daishou grumbled, nowhere near feeling down.

“They don’t know you like I do, Dai-chan. Come on—let’s feed him before we get ready for bed.”

Tetsurou settled himself in the nursery and threw a blanket over his shoulder so Suguru couldn’t sneak any peeks, Shindo feeding until he was pleasantly full; Kuroo did as well as he could during the pumping portion of breast feeding, forcing Suguru to try a drop before giving up for the night and watching as the chaebol carefully changed Shindo’s diaper on the changing table. Unlike Kuroo, Suguru went through the process delicately, going through every motion like the book dictated—Shindo’s mother, meanwhile, had somehow already perfected the art of diaper changing and whipped through it like a cup stacking competition. Daishou nodded to himself as he finished, helping Kuroo slide Shindo’s first pair of baby pajamas onto his body for bed time.

“Here it goes,” Kuroo sucked in a breath, gently laying an already snoozing Shindo down in his crib. “Shindo’s first night in the crib…”

The new parents held their breath as Tetsurou took his hands away—Shindo didn’t stir, content in his warm cocoon and soft mattress. He didn’t even stir when his parents scented him, though his lips quirked as if he wanted to smile at the welcoming sensation. For a solid thirty-minutes all Suguru and Kuroo did was stare again, leaning over the crib while Shindo continued his dream from earlier; it was amazing to Kuroo that he could now see his son’s personality forming instead of feeling him grow by sizes inside his stomach. He almost missed the irritating kicking against his abused bladder, the heartburn and rolling around trying to find a position comfortable for both of them…while both were pleasant experiences (at least, that’s what the omega told himself), Tetsurou admitted that he liked this scene a little bit more than the previous one.

“Do you think that’s why he doesn’t cry as much as a newborn should?” The omega asked in a whisper. The hearing test results from earlier were still bouncing around in the back of his mind. “Because he can’t fully hear what he sounds like, so he doesn’t know if he’s getting the message across?”

“…I really don’t know, Kuroo,” Daishou replied softly. “But…he seems happy even though he might not be able to hear anything from that ear. It’ll be alright.”

“Yeah…I hope you’re right.”

“Come on,” The chaebol motioned, smiling down at Shindo once more. “Let’s get a few minutes of sleep before he wakes us up.”

“Let the woes of newborn babies begin.”

 

Suguru didn’t know exactly when he fell asleep: it was sometime between the last episode of _Good Doctor_ and one of Kuroo’s mandatory pee breaks at midnight. The apartment was dark when he was awoken not by the sound of crying, but the sound of someone walking around in Shindo’s nursery. The heat beside him had vanished, a cold shiver running across fully-clothed Suguru as he pulled himself off the mattress, bones cracking in disapproval; after rubbing his eyes tiredly, Daishou forced his legs to move forward, peeking into Shindo’s room where Tetsurou was pacing around holding the baby in his arms, quietly humming his son’s song under his breath. _He’s already being the responsible parent_ , Daishou thought with a small smile, watching from the doorway. _When he’s ready to be the exhausted, overwhelmed parent, I’ll be ready to step-in. He’s done enough for me as it is…_

“Did he start crying?” Suguru questioned lowly, entering the room and alerting Tetsurou of his presence. “I didn’t even hear it.”

“He wasn’t making any noise, but I guess my motherly instincts told me he was hungry,” Kuroo whispered softly, stopping his pacing so Suguru could brush a lock of hair off Shindo’s forehead. “He ate a bit and fell back asleep…”

“I hate to jinx us, but I think we’re going to have it easy with him—well, at least as far as sleeping goes. He’ll probably be dating by the time he’s in preschool…”

“Well of course, Daishou—he is the heir to the Suguru accounting company.”

Both parents laughed under their breath, Kuroo not noticing how the alpha’s stare went from Shindo to him; the past few days had been a blur ever since their son’s birth, and it felt like forever since Daishou had really _looked_ at Tetsurou. There were fatigue lines under his hazel eyes, his skin looked a little blotchy and his black hair was a mess, per usual. He must have changed into his pajamas before going to Shindo’s room, maternity shirt looking huge on him now that the mass of Shindo was gone; the nightlight shining from the corner of the nursery reflected off his dreamy gaze, revealing tiny details Suguru loved to see, like those broad, muscled shoulders still remaining after all these years after volleyball, those stupid corners of his lips that always made it seem like he was grinning at you…how could the alpha not admire the soft, bright glow of those cat-like eyes…

“How do you do that?” Daishou blurted, thoroughly confused. “I don’t understand.”

“Hm? Do what?” Kuroo questioned. “Breastfeed?”

“No. How is it, that even after you just pushed a baby out of your guts weeks earlier than you were supposed to and had to spend days in the hospital…how is it, that after all that, you still look stunning?”

Surprised blush overcame Tetsurou’s cheeks as he ducked his head, pleading for Shindo to help his poor heart as it began pounding with butterflies.

“Stooooop, Suguru…I’m too tired to be banged against a door tonight!”

“I’m not saying it to get sex, moron,” The alpha rolled his eyes, planting a quick kiss across Kuroo’s temple. “I’m just saying what I’m feeling.”

“You’re so embarrassing. How am I supposed to mother Shindo when you’re seducing me all the time?”

“Want me to leave?”

“The room, maybe,” Tetsurou teased back. “But…I don’t want you to leave permanently.”

“Good to hear,” Suguru smiled, feeling like a love-struck idiot. He leaned down to give Shindo a kiss before heading to the door. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom quick—we better get back to bed. You know, before Shindo _really_ wakes us up with screaming and crying.”

Suguru left the nursery as Kuroo carefully laid their son back down in the crib, lingering for only a few more minutes before sleep called to him once again; although he knew he would regret thinking it, Tetsurou couldn’t help but feel like he could get used to this. If Shindo could stay a newborn forever, that would be happiness. No worrying about his hearing, no worrying about his dating life, no worrying about volleyball or school or the accounting firm…if they could stay in this fancy apartment forever, just the three of them, Kuroo would be content.

After laying in bed fantasizing about the future for a solid ten-minutes, Tetsurou realized Daishou still hadn’t returned from the bathroom. Concerned that maybe the high-strung father had secretly worried himself into having a stomach ulcer, Kuroo got up and lightly knocked on the bathroom door to check on him.

“Daishou-chan? Are you still in there?”

A strange noise crept through the open portion of the door, forcing Tetsurou’s curiosity to push open the rest of the door, revealing Suguru to be not in pain or rolling around on the floor in agony, but bawling his eyes out while sitting on the closed toilet seat.

“Oh my god…Suguru—are you _serious_ right now?”

“I-I c-can’t _help_ it!” The ever-so-intimidating alpha sobbed into his hands, refusing to look up. “Everything’s just…so perfect, I can’t…”

Daishou continued crying even as Kuroo’s loud hyena laughter woke Shindo up, the confused baby probably conflicted by the sounds of anguish mixed with sounds of amusement coming from the bathroom. Tetsurou couldn’t help but laugh even harder when he realized he wouldn’t have their first night with Shindo go any other way.

 

_April 23 rd_

_Naming Ceremony and check-up day_

Kuroo never knew how much he loved babies until Shindo arrived. Sure, he got to practice dressing them and holding them with Sagwa, but this was an entirely different experience. Shindo was already forming his own little personality, full of shy giggles, energy and softness, taking small pieces from each of his parents to create a mind all his own. He didn’t cry often during the night, and when he did, it usually wasn’t because he was hungry, but because he just wanted to be held; Suguru usually had him already settled by the time Kuroo managed to wake-up, and even though there were dark circles under both their eyes, it honestly wasn’t Shindo’s fault—he was just too cute too resist staring at in the middle of the night. His eyes were starting to open fully, revealing more of a greener hue as the days went on. Kuroo worried that Shindo would become so handsome they would have to homeschool him in fear of every student wanting to chase after him for his family money and good looks. Suguru pointed out that Shindo had Kuroo’s shoulder shape, but that the rest of his tiny body leaned more towards his own; of course, it was hard to tell with Shindo being premature, but they had fun guessing who he would look most like as he grew up.

Shindo had been doing well with feeding, not eating as much as Tetsurou hoped, but at least he was keeping everything down instead of puking it up like some babies did. He adored Sagwa without even understanding what exactly she was, had to be within arm’s reach of his green blanket at all times and loved pulling on his father’s hair when they laid on the floor together, which is exactly what they were doing today as Kuroo finished getting dressed for the naming ceremony at noon. Predictably, the omega was still awfully sore and in pain from the dramatic circumstances of Shindo’s birth, having difficulty standing sometimes and an even harder time leaning down to pick his son up—thankfully, Daishou had been all that he promised, running around grabbing this and that for the two loves of his life, availability that was made possible since he resigned his receptionist post for the rest of spring break.

Before the happy event of the official naming ceremony, however, Kuroo, Suguru and baby Shindo had a crucial doctor appointment at the hospital early in the morning.

“You look so cute in your spring outfit, Shindo,” Daishou complimented, tickling his son’s side as the baby squirmed with delight. “You have over two-hundred more outfits in your dresser, so don’t worry about not being able to keep up with the trends.”

“Actually, he has two-hundred and fifty, now,” Kuroo added from the hallway, where he was stealing from Suguru’s closet. “Bokuto went shopping yesterday and sent me some pictures of their baby clothes sales rack…”

“So, what, you told him to buy $300 worth?”

“Of course not. I told him to buy the entire rack.”

Suguru cackled and leaned up on his knees to carefully lift Shindo into his arms, careful not to wrinkle his dark orange and white patterned [baby yukata](https://www.google.com/search?q=yukata+baby&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjr4fP-0tfiAhVId6wKHbZmBK0Q_AUIESgC&biw=1536&bih=754&dpr=1.25#imgrc=BMJybbN_ZcihGM:) that looked more fit for a doll than a baby. It was so unbearably cute Daishou almost burst into tears when Kuroo showed him it, a gift curtesy of Sora Suguru; there were white socks and the smallest sandals Suguru had ever seen to go with the outfit, but since the sandals didn’t fit Shindo’s below average feet, they decided he would just wear the socks.

“Are we all ready to go?” Kuroo asked, hurrying over to take another look at his son. “Awwww, he’s going to look so stylish at the hospital! You’re definitely the best dressed baby I’ve ever seen, Shindo.”

“He gets that from his father.”

“Tch. Sure…”

“Are you feeling okay today?” Suguru asked, concerned at the weird stance Kuroo was currently using while waiting for the alpha to grab their bag and slip on his coat.

“Eh; the pain comes and goes,” Tetsurou shrugged, rubbing his nose along Shindo’s developing scent glands. “I’m fine, though. Thanks.”

“If you have to sit or lie down sometime today, just tell me, okay? I think I can put the seats down in Suga so you can lie down. I might have to read the manual, though…do mini-vans have manuals? Well, either way, I’ll get the seats down s—”

Kuroo shut Suguru up by popping a quick kiss onto his lips, startling the alpha so badly he accidentally squeezed Shindo, who made a noise in response.

“What…What was that for?” Daishou wondered in a daze.

“Just for being a lovable dork,” The journalist winked. “We better get going if we want to beat traffic. I think Bokuto and Akaashi are helping set everything up in the park right now; I hope Shindo’s appointment doesn’t run too late…”

Suguru, Shindo and Kuroo gathered their belongings and went downstairs to file into Suga the mini-van, the chaebol giving a hopeful glance at the Acura now parked in the complex’s parking garage. The nerves were starting to settle in, Tetsurou forgoing the party in favor of worrying about Shindo’s appointment, the one that would confirm whether or not their son was deaf in his right ear. Daishou could tell it was on his mind, but Kuroo was trying to do a better job of being positive.

“Hey, Suguru—make a dad joke.”

“No way,” The alpha shook his head. “I’ve already got a mini-van, I don’t need to stoop that low.”

“Pleeeaassseeeeeee? Do it for Shindo!” The omega pleaded, pointing back at his son who happily sucked on his pacifier in the backseat. “He needs a dorky dad to balance out his cool mom!”

“If anyone’s the cool parent here, it’s me, you nutcase,” Daishou huffed. _Hey—you should be nicer to him. He just went through a super intense labor and is super stressed about today. Tell him a damn dad joke if he wants to hear one_. “…I might have one lame joke up my sleeve, though.”

“Let me hear, let me hear!” Tetsurou begged as they pulled out of the parking lot.

“How do you get a squirrel to like you?”

“I don’t know, Dad, how _do_ you get a squirrel to like you?” Kuroo said in a babyish voice, mimicking Shindo.

“…You act like a nut.”

Tetsurou was laughing his ass off before Daishou even got to the end of his sentence, probably just from the image of a rich heir wearing Prada and driving a mini-van named Suga telling a dad joke. The pheromones in the car overjoyed Shindo, who spit out his pacifier to make noise along with his mother, though he didn’t understand why they were causing a ruckus. By the time they made it to the hospital Suguru was laughing as well, leaning his head on the steering wheel in embarrassment; Kuroo was wiping tears from his eyes by the time they recovered, only a few minutes left before their scheduled appointment.

“That,” Kuroo huffed, stomach aching even more from the laughter. “That—was the _greatest_ thing I’ve ever heard, Suguru. Hahahaaaaa…”

“I’m glad you enjoyed. I’m sure I’ll get better at them as time goes on.”

“Poor Shindo!”

“Shit—we better hurry,” Daishou said, hurrying out of the car after glancing at the clock. “We don’t want to keep Dr. Sakiyama waiting.”

“Don’t swear in front of our child, dumbass!”

“You just swore, too!”

“How can I not when you’re acting like a dumbass?!”

The three of them rushed into the hospital, Shindo calmly sucking his kitten-themed pacifier the whole way up to the maternity floor; Suguru was starting to feel nervous, now, biting his lip and worriedly checking on their baby every few seconds, as if his ability to hear could be triggered by something.

“Remember—whatever the news is, we’ll be positive and supportive for Shindo,” Daishou said out-loud, reminding himself more than Kuroo while they rushed down the hallway. “Everything will be fine.”

“Absolutely.”

“Shindo will be okay.”

“Yes.”

“He’ll be okay no matter what.”

“Affirmative.”

They stopped in front of the door labeled 195, unconsciously reaching for the other’s hand—it was amazing how easily they were getting in the routine of being a normal couple, without even having a previous conversation about “them.” Kuroo needed Suguru’s support just as much as Suguru needed his. They weren’t entering this room alone. Whatever the results were, whatever the future held, and whatever would take place between them in the future didn’t matter; they were there for Shindo as a team. Whatever happened would be.

“Ready?” Tetsurou exhaled, wide eyes peering over at Suguru.

“Ready.”

The alpha gave Kuroo’s hand a tight squeeze before they pushed open the doors, greeted by Dr. Sakiyama and the same nurse as last time, who already had the hearing test prepared. It was the same test as before, but Tetsurou knew that if Shindo did have fluids stuck inside his right ear, they would have been flushed out by now—whatever the test results showed would be the final say. After one last gulp, he and Suguru adjusted Shindo on the table, holding him still and calmly scenting him so the baby wouldn’t become agitated.

“I think I might die from how cute that yukata is,” The nurse blurted, eyes nearly tearing up from the sight. “He’s sooooo _cute_!!!”

“He gets it from Kuroo,” Daishou replied casually, unknowingly making the omega blush darkly.

“He’s certainly a sweet little guy,” Dr. Sakiyama agreed. “Alright—let’s make this quick before Shindo-chan starts pulling at the electrodes. First noise.”

The new, anxious parents watched the process once more, hardly noticing a difference from last time; Shindo was astoundingly quiet during the testing, looking like he might fall asleep from boredom at any given moment. Kuroo ran a fingertip along the bare skin of his pinkish baby hand while Suguru stood to the side, watching the screen intently as it recorded Shindo’s data. Once they finished Dr. Sakiyama said nothing, telling the nurse to escort them into the room over as she printed a few documents out. Kuroo didn’t come to any definite conclusions as they sat in the waiting room together, but the elephant in the room spoke loud enough where his stomach began churning in fear once more. Shindo was oblivious to the intense mood, sucking on his binky quietly while grabbing onto a handful of Kuroo’s shirt.

Dr. Sakiyama opened the door and entered quietly, sitting down across from their trio holding a stack of papers.

“…I’m sure you already know the results,” Dr. Sakiyama said, giving a bitter smile. “But, just so we can hear it out-loud…it seems that Shindo-chan has little to no hearing in his right ear.”

Suguru nodded for both of them. Kuroo popped his head back up and spoke at the same time as Daishou did:

“What do we do?”

The boys looked over at each other with startled pride sparkling in their eyes, alerting their attention back to the doctor as she began explaining the next step.

“Well, thankfully the type of damage done to Shindo’s ear is the kind we can help with the use of a hearing aid. Since the injury isn’t physical, caused more by underdevelopment while inside the womb, with a hearing aid he’ll be able to pick-up on certain noises here and there that can help him get through life.”

“It wasn’t physical damage?” Kuroo asked hopefully, confirming Suguru’s suspicions that he had secretly been blaming himself for Shindo’s loss of hearing. That icy winter day flashed through the alpha’s mind, and he knew the same image had probably been replaying itself relentlessly in Kuroo’s heart. “It was just because he was born early?”

“Yes.”

Indescribable relief soothed Tetsurou’s mind, enough where he had to release a deep sigh and cradle Shindo closer to him, grateful he hadn’t unintentionally harmed their precious child.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Tetsurou,” Daishou whispered against his ear honestly while Dr. Sakiyama flipped through her papers. “You didn’t hurt him. Don’t blame yourself for this, understand?”

Kuroo nodded a few times, allowing Suguru to quickly kiss his head before the conversation went on.

“It will take some time to develop Shindo’s tiny hearing aid, and I will warn you that it can get a bit expensive,” Dr. Sakiyama explained. “If this is a problem—”

“It’s not!” Kuroo exclaimed, yanking Daishou’s wallet out to show Dr. Sakiyama all his credit cards. “We’ll pay for it right now if you want!”

“Oy—don’t be such a brat! Give me that!”

The parents began wrestling with each other for the wallet, Kuroo balancing Shindo in one arm while stretching his other out far enough where Suguru couldn’t reach it; Dr. Sakiyama watched for a few minutes before glancing down at the baby, who looked entertained by all the commotion.

“Your parents are certainly interesting, Shindo-chan…”

Once the fight commenced, their doctor explained all the paperwork and brochures she had on partial deafness, telling them all about the process of hearing aids and a bunch of other topics that went right over Kuroo’s head. He was still focused on Shindo, innocent little Shindo who didn’t deserve to have half his hearing sense taken away. Yes, it wasn’t the end of the world for their son to have a mild disability, if it could be called that at all, but still—Tetsurou knew how kids worked. They didn’t comprehend the fact that some things can’t be helped. This applied to Shindo himself and every other kid he would meet who would be weirded out by the plastic device strapped onto his right ear. They wouldn’t understand, and not understanding would most likely result in teasing, gossiping and other forms of bullying. To think, Kuroo already had to worry about this only a few days after the birth of his first child…

“I know some mothers would hate me for saying this, but I’m honestly relieved,” Tetsurou forced out, pushing away those negative thoughts. “It could have been something way worse. It could have been a deadly disease or something with his blood…besides, the deaf culture is really cool! They do all these sick hand motions!”

“That’s not offensive at all,” Daishou rolled his eyes, watching as Kuroo attempted sign language. “Shindo’s only deaf in one ear, anyway, so I doubt he’ll have to learn sign language.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Here’s all the information I have so far—there’s much more information online as well, and I wrote down a few clinics that specialize in hearing therapy if it should come up in the future. I’ll refer you to our pediatrician who specializes in hearing disabilities. Do you have any questions for me?”

Yes. Kuroo had a million questions running through his mind as he accepted the stack of papers, wall falling back down to let the negative thoughts roll back in as Suguru asked Dr. Sakiyama something Tetsurou didn’t catch. Hearing therapy? Did she mean the type of therapy for kids who were bullied because of their hearing? When could they get Shindo a hearing aid, exactly? Surely they would have to get new ones every few years, or maybe even more than twice a year…was she certain that the underdevelopment wouldn’t spread to Shindo’s left ear? Was there anything else that didn’t develop like it should have? Would Shindo have to attend a special school instead of Nekoma or Nohebi?

“Tetsurou.”

“Hm?”

“It’s time to go to the shower,” Suguru said, already standing up. Apparently their appointment was over. “Come on.”

“Oh. Right.”

The walk back to their mini-van was a blur. Tetsurou only remembered sitting in the passenger seat and immediately taking out the papers Dr. Sakiyama gave them, eyes scanning over their content as Suguru silently drove them to their special park where the naming ceremony was being held. Even when they arrived at the park, where everyone was already waiting for them with balloons and food, Kuroo still didn’t look up from the papers.

“Tetsurou,” Suguru started loudly, getting his attention. “Don’t read that before we go to the shower. We’ll read it tomorrow. Today isn’t a day for worrying.”

“I know, but…but I just want to get as much information as possible. If it’ll help Shindo in the long run, I want to know as much as I possibly can from the very beginning,” Tetsurou replied softly, still feeling guilty for what, he didn’t know. “I don’t want to waste any time.”

“I know. I know that, Kuroo. And you’ll do an incredible job. You will. But we can’t do anything about his hearing right this minute, so let’s just set it aside for now and have a good party, okay?”

A deep, knowing sigh escaped the omega’s lips, Kuroo leaning over the arm rest so he could lay his head on Suguru’s shoulder, silently asking to be scented. Daishou complied effortlessly, breathing into the other’s messy black hair without caring about Bokuto pointing at them accusingly from where he and Akaashi stood in the park.

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but…what would I do without you, Suguru Daishou?”

“I knew you liked me,” Suguru smirked confidently. “Lucky for you and Shindo, I’m here to stay. Now come on—we’ve got a baby to show off.”

 

The park looked even more beautiful than the last time Kuroo saw it—of course, the last time they were here he was going into early labor, so that memory stood out more than this one, but the cherry blossom trees looked fuller than ever, the bushes and grass bright green with hope. There was a pale green sign strung around one of the trees with Shindo’s full name on it, hanging right above a table packed full of _more presents_. Almost everyone was waiting by the table full of food: Bokuto, Akaashi and the ever so pretty Kiyoko, Sora and her husband, the handsome Mori Kuroo, Yaku, Lev, Kenma, Kai and his new boyfriend, Konoha, Komi and a few of the other Fukurodani Owls, Mika and her boyfriend, Bokuto’s parents, some of Kuroo’s journalism classmates and even a few of Suguru’s well-dressed classmates. Everyone stood from their seats to watch the fashionable family stroll into the park together, Daishou carrying the baby bag and carrier wearing a black blazer over a white t-shirt, black dress pants and fancy oxford shoes. Kuroo looked equally as fit, despite having a baby days earlier, his dark maroon army jacket going well with the varying colors of Shindo’s lovable yutaka. The omega knew Suguru was right about enjoying this day, and his troubling thoughts about the future were wiped away as they were greeted by the large crowd waiting for them.

“Oh my gossssshhhhhhh, he is so _cute_!” Konoha cried in awe, the first to run up to them. “You are so lucky to have gotten your mother’s good looks, Shindo-chan.”

“Hey, let me see him first!” Bokuto said while shoving his old teammate aside. “He’s my godson, after all!”

“We’ll see,” Suguru mumbled good humoredly.

“Giche giche goo! Giche giche goooo!”

“Let’s stop this madness and go sit down somewhere,” Kuroo rolled his eyes, swerving around his best friend to go greet the others. They sat down on one of the empty tables and mentally prepared themselves as almost everyone crowded around them to see the baby, cooing and awing at Shindo, who wasn’t too interested in talking at the moment; he sucked on his pacifier without a care in the world, soothed by his father’s light rocking of the carrier while everyone fawned over his cuteness. The conversation of his lack of baby screaming was brought up after they finished making the meimeisho—Shindo only struggled when they applied the black paint to his foot so they could print it onto the official poster with his name written in calligraphy.

“He’s a quiet one, isn’t he?” Sora commented once the crowd had filtered away. “I don’t think I’ve heard him cry yet!”

“Wonder where he got that from,” Daisuke said thoughtfully. “Daishou was the neediest baby I’ve ever seen.”

“Was not…”

“He’s really pretty, Kuroo-san,” Kiyoko told him quietly, kneeling beside the baby carrier to stare at the baby in wonder.

“Thank you, Kiyoko. Don’t you just love his yakuta?”

“It’s so adorable, Sora, where did you find that?”

“I have a friend who makes them, specifically for babies.”

“If he cries, I get dibs on comforting him first!” Bokuto claimed. He was very proud of his title as godfather, showing off to anyone who didn’t know and to those who didn’t ask in the first place.

“He usually only cries when he wants to be held,” Kuroo replied, smiling down at his son. For now, they weren’t going to discuss Shindo’s recent medical diagnosis with anyone. “Even when he wants to eat all he ever does is wave his arms and kick his legs.”

“He’s still pretty tiny, but he moves around a lot better than I expected,” Mori nodded. “You’re a strong little one, aren’t you, Shindo?”

“Where’d you find the name Shindo anyhow, Tetsurou?” Akaashi wondered. He had yet to be exposed to the world of TV dramas.

“Yeah! This is the naming ceremony, after all—who was he named after?” Konoha added. Everyone in the vicinity stared over at Suguru and Kuroo, the former who had his arm wrapped around the omega snugly. He didn’t move his position, but gave Kuroo a sheepish look, silently wondering if they should make up a lie for those who might be too conservative for TV names.

“Oh, um…well…”

“It’s a soap opera name!” Bokuto shouted. “It’s from Kuroo’s favorite show _Good Doctor_!”

Akaashi scolded his fiancé for ruining the moment, apologizing as the rest of the crowd nodded in understanding, most of them having seen that show already. Konoha and Yaku began discussing whether or not Kuroo should have used the name Minato instead while Mika and her boyfriend argued that Shindo Suguru had a better ring to it. If Kuroo would have known the name would cause such drama he would have just named his first son John.

“It suits him,” Daisuke nodded, silencing the crowd. “Shindo Suguru.”

“And lucky old Mori here staked his claim on the middle name,” Bokuto smiled, slapping a sheepish Mori’s arm.

“Oh, no, I didn’t ask them to do that…”

“You deserve it,” Suguru told him, speaking for the first time in a while. “You’ve done a lot for us over the past nine months.”

“So have I!”

Akaashi wondered how many times he would have to scold his fiancé, though he understood his excitement over his godson; Kiyoko broke up the party by suddenly standing up and looking at her mother with determined, intense midnight blue eyes.

“You and Bokuto-san need to have a baby right _now_.”

Suguru choked on the punch he was trying to drink, Kuroo laughing his ass off beside him as Shindo squirmed around, startled at the commotion. Akaashi raised a surprised eyebrow at Kiyoko’s forwardness, Bokuto himself going utterly silent.

“Oh?” Her mother hummed thoughtfully. “Right this very minute?”

“Yes. I want to have a Shindo, too. Can we please have one, mommy?”

“ _Please_ , Mommy?” Tetsurou pleaded teasingly. “Don’t you want to have a beautiful child like my precious Shindo-chan?”

“This conversation is getting out of hand,” Daishou sighed dramatically, standing from his chair. “I’m going to get some food; do you want anything, Tetsu?”

“Anything you can stack onto the plate.”

Suguru shook his head but gave Kuroo a smile, strolling off towards the table where Mika was talking to her boyfriend. Other people would have been worried at the exchange, but Kuroo could feel how much of a sucker Daishou was for he and Shindo, so that worry was thrown aside for another day. Maybe another lifetime. Sora took her son’s spot so she could see Shindo better, talking quietly to the other omega as everyone conversed around them.

“I didn’t get a chance to thank you yet, Kuroo-chan,” Sora began with a soft smile.

“Thank me for what?” He questioned, cocking his head to the side.

“For everything, of course…for giving me my first grandchild, for giving me something to look forward to in my later years...but mostly, I wanted to thank you for Daishou.”

“Um…shouldn’t I be the one thanking you for him?” Kuroo chuckled as they both glanced over to where Suguru was talking to Mika while stacking a pile of goodies onto a plate.

“Maybe someday,” Sora agreed. “But…I wanted to thank you for being with him. I know he can be troublesome and spoiled and arrogant, but I’m amazed at how easily you two get along these days. I know you had some trouble during wintertime, but I’m so grateful you were patient enough with him to get to this point—I wasn’t so sure that he’d be a dependable father right away. Now, however, I can see that his transformation had nothing to do with growing up and maturing at his own pace: it had everything to do with _you_.”

Kuroo blinked a few times, looking back over at a smiling Sora in confusion.

“Me?”

“Yes, Tetsurou. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how much he adores you? I’ve never seen him so selfless before! Well, maybe on the volleyball court he was, but I’ve never known him to admire someone so much he forgoes his own desires to create new goals with that person…until you popped back into his life. Now you have Shindo, too. It honestly makes me want to cry, seeing him so independent and loyal and devoted to you two,” Sora laughed, getting a bit teary eyed. “So, I wanted to thank you for helping my son become a better person, Tetsurou. Daisuke and I are so indebted to you. Thank you.”

“What do you think he’ll be, Tetsurou?” Mori wondered out-loud, slowly pulling Kuroo away from the conversation as Sora wiped at her eyes. “An omega, alpha or beta?”

“Jeez, I totally forgot about that!” Bokuto cried, jumping down to be face to face with his godchild. “Shindo, you wanna be a cool alpha like your godfather, right?”

“No way—he’s totally beta material,” Yaku insisted.

“I think he’ll be an omega like Tetsurou,” Kenma commented softly.

“It doesn’t matter what he is,” Suguru sighed in annoyance, returning with a plateful of food. “He’s perfect just the way he is now.”

“For once, I agree with the Slytherin,” Akaashi nodded.

“Shindo’s totally gunna be a Harry Potter fan by the time he’s five.”

“No doubt about it.”

“He’ll be a volleyball star, too!”

“He’ll be the new star player of Nekoma!”

“You mean the star player of _Nohebi_.”

 

For how the morning started, Kuroo really did end up having a great day. Everyone took turns adoring Shindo, though he always seemed most at home in the arms of his mother or father. The crowd helped clean up the park after all was said and done, everyone bidding Kuroo farewell and wishing he and Suguru luck with their first few weeks as parents; Mika even gave her ex a hug, which he awkwardly returned after giving his omega a side glance, silently wondering if he was jealous. He was the one who should have been worried, however, because Tetsurou got _triple_ the amount of hugs as he did, from both alphas and betas alike. After all the friends left, leaving behind only the grandparents and Bokuto’s family, Kuroo returned to the scene after feeding Shindo in the car, but couldn’t seem to locate Suguru anywhere. He scoured the park for the chaebol, finally finding him standing at the edge of the park, right at the spot where Tetsurou’s water broke where they had been staring at the beauty of the forest around them. Since everyone else was preoccupied with cleaning and eating what remained of the treats, Kuroo took his son and quietly walked towards Suguru, getting a long glance as greeting.

“Hey,” Tetsurou sighed lightly, stopping beside him as Shindo began falling asleep on his chest. “What are you doing out here?”

“Just remembering,” Suguru shrugged. He peered up at the light pink cherry blossoms above them, eyes dreamy. “And thinking about the future.”

Kuroo was growing familiar with these new sides of the serpent, and this particular persona was one he had been growing quite fond of over the past week—when the green shades in those narrowed eyes would glow, full of determination, when his lips would be straight with purpose, eyebrows not furrowed, but not relaxed. It was the expression of a new father who would do anything, _anything_ as long as it meant keeping his son safe and happy. Suguru looked over at him, then, focusing his attention onto the soft smile spreading across Kuroo’s lips.

 

“We’ll be okay, Daishou,” He said certainly.

The chaebol slid an arm around Kuroo’s shoulder, gently pulling he and Shindo closer as the new parents stared down at the sleeping baby in the omega’s arms.

“Of course,” Suguru agreed. “I have you two.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had half this chapter written before i finished the last one and it still took me almost a month to update. fml. give my boy SHINDO MORI SUGURU some love in the comments!
> 
> gunna go bleach my hands now bcz they hurt like hell. on the other hand, have a good day!
> 
> Love,  
> Bodhi


	9. "stay there a little longer"

_You know it all_

_You’re my best friend_

_The morning will come again_

_Because no darkness,_

_No season_

_Can last forever_

_Cherry blossoms are blooming_

_The winter is ending_

_I miss you (I miss you)_

_I miss you (I miss you)_

_If I wait a little longer (if I wait)_

_If I stay up a few more nights_

_I’ll go see you (I’ll go see you)_

_I’ll go pick you up (I’ll go pick you up)_

_One Year Later_

“Tetsurou! Over here!”

Kuroo gleefully hurried his way through the crowd of black graduation gowns and nicely dressed family members, following the sound of his father’s voice; he grinned ear to ear when he finally spotted Mori, Kiyoko and a noticeably pregnant (but ever so gorgeous) Akaashi all waving at him cheerfully from their spot on the university lawn. He, Suguru and Bokuto had finally done it. They had all graduated safe and sound with diplomas to prove it, Kuroo in journalism, Suguru in international business and Bokuto in…well, whatever type of degree he had, he managed to graduate alongside his best friends. Lucky he did, too, because Akaashi and he were expecting, and they were going to need all the help they could get. Kuroo stopped to just stare at their pretty scene for a moment, unable to stop smiling—after taking a mental picture the omega sprinted past the rest of the crowd and threw himself into Mori’s awaiting hug, letting the older alpha spin him around while laughing proudly.

“I did it, Dad! I graduated!” Kuroo giggled excitedly, Kiyoko and Akaashi watching from the side.

“Congratulations, Tetsurou,” Mori sniffled, still beaming into his son’s shoulder despite his tears. He had bawled through the entire ceremony, too. “I’m _so_ so proud of you. Your mother would be, too.”

Kuroo squeezed his eyes shut tighter, having just recovered from bursting into tears during the ceremony; at this rate he wouldn’t be able to see the rest of the day fly by through his tears and puffy eyes.

“Thanks for everything, Dad. You’ll always be the best.”

“Ah, who cares about me? This is your day, Tetsu—I’ll steal your thunder another day.”

The black-haired omega laughed, handing Mori his cap and official diploma before pulling Kiyoko and Akaashi into a tight hug, being careful of the other omega’s swollen tummy.

“Congrats, Kuroo-san,” Akaashi said, hugging him in return. “I honestly didn’t think you’d make it this far, but I’m pleasantly surprised.”

“I think that’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me, Akaashi.”

“I brought you these flowers, Kuroo-san,” Kiyoko said shyly when they broke apart, offering a bouquet of beautiful pink and white flowers towards him. “They’re spring themed because Daddy told me you like spring.”

“Awww, that’s so sweet, Kiyoko-chan! Thank you!”

“It’s a good thing this hat covered up your hair, bud,” Mori teased, ruffling his son’s hair up for old time’s sake. “It’s especially messy today.”

“I wonder where B—”

“BROOOO!!!!” A loud, familiar voice shouted, Bokuto barreling through a crowd of people to run towards them.

“BROOOO!!!” Kuroo hollered back, opening his arms widely. Mori cackled when Koutarou skipped his hug and went to embrace his fiancé and daughter, grinning while spinning them both around in the air.

“Hey! I’m the one who graduated with you, jerk!”

“Haha!”

Bokuto lightly set Kiyoko and Akaashi down, earning a proud kiss from the latter before he turned around to give Kuroo a hug as well, rocking them back and forth while remembering high school, the late night volleyball practices during team camps, the rivalries during the season, the phone calls and rooming together during their first years in college, every stain and every mess they made…and now, they were here. They were officially adults, graduating with their degrees, one engaged and ready to start a family, the other already having a family of his own. Tetsurou suddenly couldn’t believe it. Through every bad turn and wrong decision, had they really managed to get this far?

“I can’t believe we did it!” Bokuto read his mind, speaking breathlessly as they backed away to observe the other. “We actually passed without any summer school!”

“It’s a miracle.”

“And now we’re going to have food and to eat and party—just like old times, huh?!”

“Yeah,” Kuroo smiled nostalgically. “Just like old times.”

His best friend grinned that devilish grin, breaking apart so he could return back to Akaashi, gently placing a hand on his tummy while talking the baby’s ears off about how cool their father was. Kiyoko giggled with delight, trying on Bokuto’s graduation hat for a size.

“You three have a busy summer ahead of you,” Mori smiled at Bokuto’s group, throwing an arm around Tetsurou. “Two baby girls in June, wedding in August—I sure hope Tetsu doesn’t get pregnant again, or else we’d really have a circus around here!”

Akaashi blushed through his smile, letting his fiancé pull him close while beaming happily.

“Speaking of serpents, where are Shindo and the Suguru’s?” Kuroo asked hurriedly, scanning the area for his son.

“I’m not sure,” His father scratched his head, glancing around. “They were right next to us during the ceremony…”

“I see them!” Kiyoko pointed.

Everyone followed her pointing to the left, where Sora and her husband were hurrying towards them, bright expressions on their faces as they waved in greeting; Kuroo kept looking, finding more than what he was looking for when Suguru Daishou broke through the crowd, dressed in his black gown and carrying their son Shindo in his arms. Shindo was starting to look like an even match of them these days, just over a year old already with dark brown hair styled to the right, a few strands sticking up here and there, narrow (but not too narrow) hazel eyes, dimples to die for and a cheeky little grin that definitely had both his parents in it. Today he was wearing an adorable white dress shirt with a loose pink tie, light pink Nike baby shoes and soft black pants to match the tiny hearing aid in his right ear—Suguru liked to think Shindo got his style from him. Kuroo felt a different, warmer smile drift to his face as the Suguru’s approached, Daisuke and Sora giving him each a big hug and congratulating him. Sora had obviously been crying, and even Daisuke looked a little red-eyed; despite his only son’s irritating abilities, he really was proud of him for getting this far.

“Congratulations, Tetsurou-kun,” Sora sniffled, wiping another tear as they released him. “We’re so happy for you!”

“Thank you, Sora-san.”

“Look, Shindo!” Daishou cheered lightly when they walked up to the group. He even managed to pull off his dorky graduation cap in a cool chaebol way. “It’s Mommy!”

“There’s my boy,” Tetsurou cooed, grinning as Suguru handed the child off to his mother, Shindo squealing with joy. “Are you happy mommy and daddy graduated?! Yes you are!”

Shindo made some noises of agreement as his mother kissed his face several times, grabbing at the pink flowers so he could feel the velvety surface of the petals; Suguru tugged Kuroo closer by his sleeve, moving in to plant a quick kiss on his lips and then for a tight hug—at this time last year Kuroo might have been surprised by the act, but now, he expected and welcomed it.

“Congrats, idiot,” Daishou grinned into Tetsurou’s shoulder. Shindo tried to hug both of his parents while being squished between them.

“You too, teat sucker.”

Suguru snickered under his breath, paying the crowd around them no mind while giving Kuroo another peck on his lips. Things were so different between them, now—Kuroo could still remember that late August their junior year, how lonely and desperate for change they both were…things had definitely taken a wild turn. It hadn’t been the change Kuroo expected, but he couldn’t think of any other way for his college graduation to go: surrounded by people he loved who loved him back, his father and the spirit of his mother above, the rich almost-in-law’s, Bokuto’s growing family and of course, their son Shindo, who didn’t understand how monumental this day was but appreciated it none the less with giggles and curious interest. Sure, Kuroo still didn’t know why fate brought he and his enemy as close as it did, nor did he comprehend how Suguru had managed to make him fall in love with him, but right now, on a pretty spring day in April, Tetsurou didn’t care about the past.

“Picture time, picture time!” Sora cheered, motioning for the boys and a squirming Shindo to stand together. Daishou put an arm around Kuroo, pulling him closer and adjusting their pose; Sora snapped a perfect image of them all smiling brightly, Shindo caught in mid grin as he successfully tore a petal off one of the bouquet’s flowers. He showed it to his parents in celebration, making Mori laugh when the baby was handed off to him.

“Well—I don’t know how we got here with that little guy on our hands, but we did it,” Daishou exhaled deeply, sliding his cap off. “I think today might even make it into our scrapbook.”

“Duh! Today’s the first day of your yakuza reign!” Kuroo reminded him obnoxiously.

“Actually…about that…”

The rest of their crowd was paying attention, now, Akaashi getting a nervous feeling when Suguru turned and addressed them.

“I have an announcement to make,” The graduate coughed.

“Jeez, don’t tell me you knocked Kuroo up again!” Bokuto wailed, immediately hiding from Akaashi’s smack.

“No. Not yet, anyway…”

Mori secretly let out a sigh of relief as Tetsurou pinched Suguru’s arm; while Mori loved Shindo, he didn’t think he could handle the news of another grandchild right now in his emotional state. Daisuke already had an eyebrow raised, Sora genuinely confused as to what her son could possibly be announcing. A different job, perhaps? A house? The possibilities were endless with Daishou. Everyone stood in contemplation as Suguru gathered his words, looking a bit nervous.

“Umm…I know it seems stupid since I just graduated with a business degree, but…” Daishou swallowed his anxiety down, glancing over at Shindo for strength. “I’m still planning on doing business on the side, but…as my main career, I’ve decided—I’ve decided I’m going to be a model.”

Bokuto was the first to burst out laughing, not taking the other alpha seriously; when nobody else laughed, he realized his mistake and let his expression fall to one of shock.

“A…model?” Suguru’s mother repeated. Her husband was silent. “Not that you aren’t handsome enough, Daishou, but a _model_?!”

“You do realize you just graduated with a degree in international business, right, Dai?” Mori laughed, amused at the turn of events.

“Yes, I realize it sounds a little…silly,” Daishou agreed. “But I’ve already signed a contract with an agency, and most of what I’ll be modeling for has to do with business fashion, so it’s really the same thing when you think about it!”

“Dai-chan,” Kuroo interjected slowly. All eyes went to him, seeing those hazel eyes wide with a hidden emotion. “That’s so _hot_!”

“It is? I mean—yeah! It is!”

“Going against the family tradition to become a super sexy chaebol _model_? That’s incredible!”

“That is pretty savage,” Bokuto agreed reluctantly. “But seriously, how could you decide this _after_ graduating?! Why didn’t you go into that in the first place?!”

“I didn’t know that’s what I wanted to be doing four years ago,” Suguru smiled gently, raising a hand to let Shindo grab his finger, the baby reaching in his father’s direction as Mori held on. “Things change. Life changes. I’ve been considering it ever since Kuroo and I started dating.”

“The first time or the second time?”

Akaashi’s pregnancy strength was an advantage for times like this, his finger pinching his fiancé’s arm so hard he didn’t move for a solid thirty-seconds, paralyzed by the pain. Kiyoko thought Suguru would make a good model because he was very good at not smiling. Tetsurou, meanwhile, was trying not to get a raging boner at the idea of his boyfriend being a _model_. How did he get so lucky? Shindo would definitely be the babe of daycare one day, what with his parents both being so cool.

“I agree…with Tetsurou,” Daisuke stated suddenly. All gazes went to him, further shocked by what Suguru’s father was agreeing with. “You’re much too flashy for business. Modeling will be a good fit for you, Dai.”

His son smiled a big smile, resisting the urge to laugh at the irony of the situation.

“Thanks, Dad,” Daishou bowed slightly. “Don’t worry about the family business; I’m sure Shindo here would love to inherit it someday.”

“My precious son and my model boyfriend—know what would make my day even better?” Kuroo whispered mischievously. Immediately, Suguru thought back to that lonely night at the bus bench, the hazy way this omega seduced Daishou with everything he had, nothing to lose to the other but themselves, resulting in a beautiful, messy connection ending in humor, tears and triumph. Suguru looked at the omega suspiciously, wondering if his mind was thinking more along the lines of sex in Deok Hwa or sex on their new mattress…Shindo seemed just as confused, more interested in his grandpa’s tie than what his parents were gossiping about.

“Umm…yes?” The chaebol tried.

 _He might regret saying that_ , Kuroo thought sneakily.

“Kiyoko-chan,” The dark-haired omega began, turning to Akaashi’s first daughter. “Do you have those flowers I put in your backpack?”

Kiyoko nodded quickly, digging through her backpack as everyone else stood in confusion, watching the girl hand Kuroo a bundle of buckwheat flowers. At first, Suguru didn’t understand the reference. Bokuto did and in a weird twist of events, understood what was happening before anyone else did, a loud gasp escaping his lips. Daishou watched with unblinking eyes, flashing between the flowers in Kuroo’s hands and how he was slowly lowering himself into a different position. Mori’s mouth dropped next, then Sora’s, then Akaashi’s. Suguru finally caught the reference of the buckwheat flowers, but it was too late—his heart found itself totally unprepared for what Tetsurou said next, leaning on one knee and holding the bundle out, a silver ring attached to the string holding the flowers together.

Kuroo locked eyes with him and began to speak. He had been planning this ever since he saw Suguru in a black tuxedo for a business class presentation in Osaka two-months ago.

“…I’m saying this because today is just about right.”

 _No_ , Suguru thought, tears bursting to his eyes as they stood wide, disbelieving, heart hammering right out of his chest. _No way he is proposing to me the same way the Goblin did…no way. This isn’t happening. My enemy is not asking me to marry him. No! Yes! No!_

“I’m saying this because you’re still shining. I’m saying this because _you_ were that first love. On another day that’s just about right…” Tetsurou gave him a soft smile. “Will you be my bride?”

On cue, Shindo burst into a fit of giggles in Mori’s arms, making cheering noises as Sora began crying again. Even Bokuto found his eyes getting wet, watching his best friend eagerly wait for Suguru’s reaction. The model seemed to be frozen in time, lips quivering, throat unsure how to form words, heart beating wildly at the thought of spending eternity with the mother of his beautiful son forever…the person he loved more than he loved himself, more than he loved Korean beauty products and expensive clothing. Did this mean Kuroo loved him, too? It had to. He was quoting _Goblin_! That had to be love! Mori contained his chuckles under his breath, eyes wide with pride at how much his son had grown over the past year—while this question came as a surprise to him, like everyone else, he was certain Kuroo was making a good decision.

The crowd waiting eagerly, wondering if the long pause meant Suguru was silently weighing other options. Shindo reached for his mother again, wanting to touch the buckwheat flowers now that his curiosity with the roses had ceased. The chaebol swallowed harshly, gathering a bit of his voice back and giving a short nod.

“Y-Yes,” Daishou croaked, trying to sound cool. “Yes…I’ll marry you.”

“Tehe!” Shindo laughed, making everyone else break into laughter as well. Kuroo grinned ecstatically, jumping up and hurriedly sliding the ring onto Suguru’s trembling finger; Daishou shakily accepted the buckwheat flowers, unable to stop his tears from falling as he tugged the idiot he loved into a passionate kiss, adoring how Tetsurou laughed into it.

“Still hate you!” Suguru hiccupped, wrapping his arms around Kuroo’s shoulders.

“Still hate you, too.”

“O-h my god!” Bokuto sobbed into Akaashi’s shoulder when the pair finally separated, seeing the rest of their family tearing up; Mori handed Shindo off to his sobbing father so he could wipe tears of his own. “T-This is too much!!! I can’t handle all this goodness!!!”

“Can’t you kids spread all this good news out?” Daisuke laughed joyfully, shaking his head as Daishou cried against Shindo. “This is getting ridiculous!”

“You asked Suguru-san to marry you using a Goblin quote,” Akaashi realized. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“You can do it for your next husband, Mommy,” Kiyoko commented innocently.

“ _Hey_!”

Kuroo laughed loudly, pulling Suguru closer so the three of them were all standing close together, Shindo joining in with their cheers even though he didn’t understand what the hell was happening. All he knew was that his parents’ scents were happy, and that made him happy, too.

“Welcome to the yakuza family, Shindo!” Tetsurou joked.

 

Daishou leaned his head against Shindo’s sweetly, a wet smile plastered to his lips as Kuroo kissed his cheek, feeling a gust of wind brush fallen cherry blossom petals over their forms; their families stood around them cheering happily, letting the warm sunshine bring a natural glow to everyone’s grinning cheeks, Shindo trying his best to grab at the blossoms floating over them. Being here with his son and now fiancé, Kuroo was sure they could tackle whatever life through their way—they weren’t alone in the world anymore. They had friends, fathers and mothers who could help them, would help Shindo whenever they felt overwhelmed; Kuroo had to wonder if spring was the key to happiness. Alive in this moment with the rich chaebol Daishou Suguru, previous enemy number one and their one-year-old alpha son Shindo mori Suguru, the omega was sure he would never feel the need to go looking for enemies anymore.

Thanks to a certain snake and a baby kitten, he had everything he needed, right here in a university park on a gentle spring day.

 

_Past the end of this cold winter_

_Until the spring comes again_

_Until the flowers bloom again_

_Stay there a little longer_

_Stay there_

_Fin._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAYYYYYY SHINDO!!!!!!!!!! And yay for Goblin quotes!!! Yes, this fic was supposed to have 11 chapters total, but the last two plots I ran out of ideas for and kind of just pulled them out of my ass, so I decided to just take the final scene and end it happily on my 20th birthday! Yay!!! This was a lot of fun to write, and I have another Kuroo x Suguru fic planned (Jpop stars, nurses and BTS references, anyone?), but since I finally finished my original novel I'll be busy trying to get that going for a while.
> 
> Until the next spring day~~~  
> Bodhi

**Author's Note:**

> be honest: smut scenes better than 50 shades? more drama to come...
> 
> These chaps will be savagely long ur welcome have a good day and please remember that unless they are fictional do not perform sexual stuff with ANYONE and also don’t do it without—  
> (hehe, shuda finished that thought kuroo)  
> Love,  
> Bodhi Seong-Bae
> 
> tumblr, insta: baku_bodhi


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